Opportunities Like This Come Once in a Lifetime
by KatherineMP20
Summary: Katie's -OC- past is finally revealed as her story of her rise to fame is told. Rated T for possible language to come.
1. Chapter 1

_***AN* This new story is going to be part of a 2-3 part series. This is somewhat going to be the background on how my OC Katie got involved with BTR and all of their adventures, so we are going to go way back in time here. The first chapter of this plot was published already as my first story, however it has since been cancelled. The story has changed alot and has a different plot line, i'm not going to give too much away as too how/why so just read on and enjoy. Since this story might get long, there will be periods of lag between updates as I try to 'perfect' the story and tweak it how I want. Grammar and other errors may ensue, I am just filling in some blanks is all.*** _

Screams could be heard all around, but they were screams of joy, not fear. Katie was at a concert, her first one actually. She was 21 years old and hadn't been to a concert until now, but she enjoyed it none the less. She looked around and saw familiar faces and she pictured herself all smiles as she danced and jumped around, eyes locked on the stage. The music sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it, she couldn't see the performer either. Something was a miss and wasn't adding up, but she didn't second guess anything and just enjoyed herself.

"KATIE!" a voice yelled. Suddenly her surroundings began to fade and she was in darkness for a second, confused as to what was happening. The voice called out again and this time she could feel her body flailing as she felt as if she was falling. She came out of her REM sleep quickly to be met with the sound of her mother calling her to get up.

"You're still sleeping! It's nearly noon! Get up before your father comes home for lunch, don't let him see you still sleeping or there will be a hole other lecture." she said as she left. Katie began to stir and she looked at the clock; it indeed read noon and she was surprised, she didn't expect to sleep in that late. It was a dreary day outside so she kind of figured that that may have had something to do with it.

She forced herself up and got ready for her day. Her dog, Shadow was waiting in the hall, tail wagging upon seeing her. He sprang to his feet and gave her his good morning hug before greeting her cat, Fluffy, again who had followed her from her room. The animals were never far from Katie at any given time. Once she was ready, she went downstairs to feed the animals and make her own breakfast, or in this case, lunch.

Her mom was busy doing some house work so Katie sat down to watch some TV on the kids network. It was one of her favorite channels; she hadn't outgrown it yet and despite missing the older shows from when she was a kid, she still enjoyed the newer shows to some extent. She watched it for a good hour as she ate he lunch, surrounded by her pets, who were begging for left overs. She ignored their pleas for her food, but did give them some attention and reassurance until an ad caught her attention.

It was the yearly contest run by Kids Network TV, to bring Kids Network to your school, select stars and or game shows would come to the winner's school and just take over for the day. Katie entered every year but once she turned 15, she was no longer eligible. This year though, she decided to give it a shot anyway since she had made an account to play games with, a few months prior. The list of rules clearly stated, winners were eligible only if they were under 16 but she signed up anyway just for fun.

Months went by and she heard nothing until an advertisement on TV showed the winner's school and the craziness that happened. Most of the schools that won, were elementary schools. She did some research and found that middle school children never won, so a college student would never win either, even if by chance her name was drawn. She thought it over and figured that there would only be a handful of people out of the entire university's student body of 4,000 who would be even remotely interested in either the stars or the whole event. The networks trademark, goo, would make an appearance as well and she had a list of people she would want to be oozed.

She spent the day thinking about what could have been and although, kinda hurt that her age group was excluded, she figured it was for the best that it was given to younger kids so that it wasn't a wasted day on the star's or network's part. She'd never get a chance to have fun like they did, but so did many kids actually. Would it really be worth the possible humiliation by preppy and snobby peers at her university at how kiddish she was being? There was a high standard in general at her school so she didn't fit in too much as it was but her own department major, had strict high standards that she had to live by and it really restricted her freedom and self expression. She lived with it peacefully since she hoped it might shape her into a better person, although deep inside, she didn't think she should have to change at all. Why was being different so bad?

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months and soon enough Katie was back in school. She hit the books hard, since last semester was rough, she didn't do too well but only because, she had a lot to deal with, personally. She managed to bring her GPA back up to a 3.6 but it wasn't going to get any higher until she retook a class she took a year prior. The class was only available once every three semesters, so when registration rolled around, she was first in it.

With her classes nearly settled, she enjoyed her summer break to the fullest, although most of her time she spent home working on her computer for future assignments. Her advisor told her about the different classes Katie would be taking and since syllabuses rarely changed, Katie got a head start over the summer but getting a preview copy of the syllabus and got to work on outlines for possible papers and topics.

She had eventually gotten busy over her summer as she did her own thing. She hung out with friends, did some shopping, occasionally she did some odd jobs as well. It had been a few weeks, since she had been anywhere near a computer and with some downtime to her self, she took the opportunity to kick back and relax and surf the web. She did the basics such as face book, you tube and checked her email. She had quite a few but then again not all that many. She sifted through them quickly, most were emails from school. She kept all emails from school, even if it didn't pertain to her directly, just so she would have the information if she ever needed it.

By the third page, she had sorted everything either read or delete and was near the bottom of the list when she noticed an official looking, yet strange topic in one of her emails. "Kids Network TV has been trying to contact you!"

"What the heck?" she thought to herself. "Must be about my account on the website, I havent been in a few months. Probably deleted by now."

The email came up addressed to the parent of Katie although her parents never used the internet. It was just the sites policy and automated way of doing things, two email addresses were needed even though she was over 18. Both emails went to one major one that she could access quickly and easily. The email was about her account and that it was inactive but she had a message waiting and it was alerting the parent to remind them to watch over their chats.

Curious as to what the message might be, she hopped over to their website and tried to log in but couldn't remember the password. She reset it and logged in successfully this time and was pleased. She actually had 2 messages waiting as well as a few friend requests. She accepted the requests and moved onto the messages, the first was from a buddy asking what was up and where she had been; she replied, typing out a long message detailing a few events before pressing send. The second one was from the website itself so she figured it was just a site update thing but clicked it anyway

"Dear Katie3452,

My name is Nate Krunther, I am the CEO of Kids Network. I assume you are a long time fan of the network, being 21 years of age so I also assume you are familiar with our company's yearly contest, 'Kids Network takes over your school'. I write you today, regarding your entry from last year, I noticed you had recently joined prior to your entry and you are one of the oldest members on the site. This letter isn't asking you to leave the site, on the contrary, we are happy to see 'adult sized kids' that still enjoy our network. The point of this letter is about your entry to the contest; your entry was randomly drawn last year, but because of your age, you were not eligible and we had to draw again.

We havent changed the rules just yet and we probably wont, however, I was wondering if you would still be interested in doing a publicity ad for us, the theme being, you are never too old to have would love to bring our network to your college that you submitted, we think it would be a fun experiment. If You'd like to accept this offer please contact us right away at NateKrunther or 745-555-9832.

Sincerely yours, 

Nate Krunther."

Although the letter was old, Katie was in shock at what she was reading. She wasted no time and replied, apologizing for the delay. To her relief, Nate had replied a few days later, still very much interested in his offer. He had contacted a few other parties but either they declined, had no school to bring the network to or were unreachable. Katie was super excited and couldn't wait. She gave them her contact info once she verified who she was talking too and plans had begun.

During the spring, the network would show up at her school to bring the fun and the goo. The dean and other school officials approved the activities and all was set. 3 months before the event, a new president came in after the previous one became ill. He abolished all activities that were not school appropriate and that included, the network event. A petition began to go around to get the event back but not even 200 students signed it.

Defeated, but at the same time not surprised that her college classmates, found this childish, she let it go. It wasn't long though before she came up with the brilliant idea to give away the event to another school. Although the network wanted a college or high school, they also didn't want the event to go to waste. Katie offered the idea of brining the event to her old elementary school where her dad currently worked and had connections. As of late, their were strict guidelines but a few good words and his higher authority allowed the event to take place. 

Katie posted at her college and to people that she knew were interested in the event that they could come to the elementary school in her hometown. Less than half responded but it was still a good number. With the event back on, Katie was thrilled and prepared for the big day.


	2. Chapter 2

_***AN* This new story is going to be part of a 2-3 part series. This is somewhat going to be the background on how my OC Katie got involved with BTR and all of their adventures, so we are going to go way back in time here. The first chapter of this plot was published already as my first story, however it has since been cancelled. The story has changed alot and has a different plot line, i'm not going to give too much away as too how/why so just read on and enjoy. Since this story might get long, there will be periods of lag between updates as I try to 'perfect' the story and tweak it how I want. Grammar and other errors may ensue, I am just filling in some blanks is all.*** _

Katie had very little to do with planning however she did have an 'in' as to what some plans were. She was super excited when she heard that the guests coming, would be the cast of iCarly minus Carly, Tori, Beck, and Jade from Victorious, and a surprise musical guest. Katie also had the option to choose a game show to play at the school, she could choose any show in the network's history so she chose "Legends of the Hidden Temple.".  
As the event grew near, things began to fall apart and it seemed as if the event would be cancelled from either party due to lack of interest by the teachers. Staff did not want to get slimed or miss a day of schooling. They felt this would be too big a distraction and even though it would only be for a day, students would look forward to it everyday. The school had a high standard and didn't want to ruin it with a day of fun.  
Despite the many changes in the school, since Katie had graduated many years ago, it still appeared that nothing had changed and in some points, it seemed to have gotten worse. Nevertheless she was determined to get the event to go through, even it was for her own benefit. Staff wanted no part of it but they ultimately agreed to hold the event. Katie and a few friends would have to be in charge of making sure nothing goes wrong and cater to all the needs of the Network and the stars as well as care for the children.  
Katie gathered enough of her friends to watch all 9 classes of children, as well as get some of her guy friends to be security of sorts. Katie appointed herself the stars' personal liaison, she would be in charge of all their needs and answer their questions if they had any. She was busy planning each piece of the day as she conversed with the network and the stars' managers. She had gotten the riders of the stars and because they had the same producer/creator, they all knew each other well and would be willing to share a room to leave the other room for the surprise musical guest in hopes it would be enough.  
2 weeks before the event, Katie finally got the rider for the musical guest. To her surprise and utter excitement, she screamed at the familiar name and logo of Big Time Rush. She went straight to work on gathering the funds to go shopping for all of their requested items as well as clean and freshen their soon-to-be dressing room. From top to bottom she scrubbed every surface possible making sure not a spec or dirt, paper or smudge was left anywhere.  
1 week before the event she contacted the manager for BTR to update him on what the venue was not able to provide, as listed in the rider. The manager wasn't expecting her call at all and was quite impressed with her attention to detail. She admitted that she read the whole rider thoroughly to make everything as comfortable as possible for them. He assured her that everything would be taken cared of on their end and the rider was just a guide as too likes and dislikes in case food would be provided.  
The day of the event was super busy and Katie had gotten up at 5, the earliest she had ever gotten up in her life, to prepare for the stars' arrivals. Once she was ready, she grabbed her dog Shadow, his things and hers and flew out the door, ahead of her father who was still asleep. Although he worked on the school campus, he did not need to arrive until his usual time of 8am. He gave his daughter the keys to the building, so she could prepare and open the rooms before everyone arrived. She knew which key went to which lock, after watching over her dad for so long and knew where everything was. In fact, she had to take over for him a few times when he had been hospitalized.  
It was nearly 7am when she finished getting ready and placing the final items in both dressing rooms. She paid closest attention to BTR's dressing room, lining everything up according to it's place on the list, as well as making sure all labels could be seen so it could be easily identified. She went over the dressing room again, to clear out any cobwebs, dust, smudges or other particles before finally being satisfied with it and leaving the door and windows open to cool and aerate the room. Next stop was to wait outside and direct the buses to their place.  
The teachers parking lot, just behind the school itself was small but long enough to hold three average buses. Teachers and staff were put off, since they were told to park across the street, but the network specifically asked for a private parking lot, preferably one with private access. None of the lots had private access but the one they would be using had only one public entrance, although it was still possible to walk in from any direction, it was more closed off than the others as well. Katie explained to the networks agent what the school could provide and sent pictures as well as options and instructions, he approved the location but still arrived early to get a feel of the campus.  
Students were beginning to arrive, as school started at 8, however, being a private school, the staff were adamant about the morning teachings so first period would be held. It gave the network and Katie extra time to go over any final changes and what not. The agent was given a quick tour and then was left with head staff of the school, giving the ok for the stars to arrive. Katie went back out and caught the first bus and directed the driver inside. The buses were obviously bigger than average buses but the first one fit inside, parking right in the alley way like a perfect fit. The second one would be to the right of the first bus, fitting itself against the indent of the school. The third one may have to park on an angle but it should still fit.  
The driver and the agent for the stars on the bus came off by themselves. Katie greeted them, introducing herself, the school, her job and offering a beverage and an opportunity for questions or last minute changes. Impressed with her professional manner, the agent was quick to start his speech to keep the professionalism going. The stars would be fine for another hour or so as they got themselves ready and just relaxed on their own before coming inside. Katie offered two different directions at the stars convenience to get inside, they could either take the main door entrance or go directly into the next building's basement and up a flight of stairs. The agent took all her instructions in, taking a few notes himself before asking for a cup of coffee.  
Katie smiled and led him and the driver inside to the teacher's lounge where a small refreshment table was set up for the business end of the network. The stars' personal needs were in their dressing rooms as well as a table set up in the great room, their rooms were attached to.  
Before leaving, Katie asked for some check in information, to which she learned that Tori and her friends were in the bus outside. She mentioned she was a fan of the show and whenever they were ready to be showed to their dressing rooms, to let her know. She excused herself as she went back outside to direct the next bus, which to her surprise was already waiting. The agent for Tori and her friends had said, that all the buses left together, but BTR had a show the first night as well as a few interviews and photoshoots, so they might be a tad later. The other two buses had individual photoshoots or interviews but waited with each other upon request.  
The bus that was waiting, she assumed to be iCarly. There was no specific order for the buses, it was just first come first serve, however, she hoped BTR would have been first or second to better control any fan mobbing. She approached the bus and was greeted by the on board agent, he did his check in, and as she thought, it was iCarly. She told the driver where and how to park and she backed away so he could do so. When he was finished, the agent and driver exited so Katie could continue her speech and escort them inside to their lounge. However, the stars on board wanted out to stretch their legs; Spencer, Sam, Freddie and Gibby, exited the bus and followed them to the executive lounge room and then were escorted to their dressing room.  
Katie felt bad for Sam, she was the only girl on her bus and would be the only girl for a while until Tori and Jade got off their bus. Sam was cool with it as always and as soon as she spied the food table she made a break for it to stuff her face. The guys picked at some food on the way to the dressing room where she let them in and explained everything they would need.  
"This room is connected to another room that will be used by the students of Hollywood Arts. It is bigger, but since the number of students was higher, their agent requested the bigger room. I'm sure once the students arrive, you'll work it out amongst yourselves and even mingle if you'd like. All the food listed on your riders is in here, the rest is in the fridge beside the desk. Please make yourselves comfortable but please keep the room organized, this room is reserved as the office/meeting room of religious education and all the important supplies, books and learning tools are here." Katie said before answering their final questions and leaving them to themselves. They were free to do what ever they wanted, the building was theirs for the time being but as it approached 9am, the students would be coming in and the stars would want to stay inside the grand room, which had more than enough space to house them all and run around.  
Katie was on her way back when her phone rang, it was the teacher's lounge phone, she was needed. She arrived at the room just as the executive hung up; the students of Hollywood Arts were waiting in the room, ready to be shown to their dressing room. Katie was greeted with smiles and courtesy as each student gave her a hug and thanked her for her time, commending her on her politeness, professionalism, knowledge and speed. She thanked them for taking time out of their busy schedules to do this event and showed them to their hang out.  
Once done, her next job was just to wait for BTR to arrive so she waited outside, expecting it to show up shortly. It was after 8am and BTR still hadn't arrived, the festivities didn't start until 9am but she figured the guys would want some time t stretch their legs first. She worried that they may have gotten lost or worse, in a car accident. She checked with the other agents to see if they knew anything as to why they were cutting it so close but they didn't; only that they should have been here by now according to the tour schedule. She went back outside defeated and low on hope as she waited several minutes, although they seemed like hours in her anticipation, for BTR.  
She was called away by the agents and the stars to address a few concerns and other questions as time drew closer. She shared her concern that BTR had not yet arrived when asked where they were. The others were also concerned that they were so late, so one of the agents called the network to see if he could get a hold of someone on BTR's end.


	3. Chapter 3

_***AN* This new story is going to be part of a 2-3 part series. This is somewhat going to be the background on how my OC Katie got involved with BTR and all of their adventures, so we are going to go way back in time here. The first chapter of this plot was published already as my first story, however it has since been cancelled. The story has changed alot and has a different plot line, i'm not going to give too much away as too how/why so just read on and enjoy. Since this story might get long, there will be periods of lag between updates as I try to 'perfect' the story and tweak it how I want. Grammar and other errors may ensue, I am just filling in some blanks is all.*** _

_***AN* I'm actually surprised I got this chapter done as quickly as I did. There is some adult verbage/angst in here so do read at your own risk. I was still contemplating this story and the plot line and wasnt sure how I wanted it to go and I still dont, nor do I have an ending just yet. This is why it is taking so long between chapters instead of my more usual daily/every other day updates. Bear with me on the prolonged story/update times as I work through the story and details. Feedback/questions are welcome but I wont be giving too much away. I did have a alternate ending/plot to go with this but currently, I have forgotten it, if I remember I will let you all know. Until next time readers!**_

_**PS- Dialogue in this chapter has been differentiated using font instead of he/she said. My character's lines are Italicized and whoever she is talking to or with has bold. ***_

_****_It was 10 minutes to 9 when BTR finally arrived. Katie was just coming out of the school to check again when she saw it park in the road, she rushed over and directed a surely looking driver and an equally disgusted person, who she assumed was the agent, sitting in the front seat. It took a few minutes to park the bus on the angle that was left available and once the engine cut, she made her way to the door with a smile and no urgency showing on the outside, to have everyone feel at ease.  
Before she knocked, she could see someone coming down the stairs of the bus and moved away to give them space. The person, who happened to be the agent, slammed open the door and immediately tore into Katie about the available parking. She was shocked at the response and had no idea how to respond, not that she was being given a chance. The bus driver followed shortly and threatened her that she would be hearing from lawyers if the bus was damaged in any way from the shoddy parking area. The agent added his own threats before demanding answers to his questions. He called her lazy and stupid because she wasn't being professional at all.  
Katie felt like crying at his cruel words, he hadn't given her a chance and because she was all alone, no one knew the torment she was going through at the moment. She stayed quiet but followed orders, bringing them to the executive lounge. The room was empty, being so close to show time so she was forced to go on with the torment both driver and agent threw at her. She checked the clock quickly to see how late it was getting and although she tried to check it without them noticing, the agent snapped at her, telling her they would be ready on their own terms.  
She hadn't meant anything by checking the time, in fact it was for her own benefit. She had so much to say regarding the day but she was too scared to even move. She had tried so hard to make everything go smoothly but somehow, something went very wrong. She just stood in the door way, staying still and minding her own business, waiting for her next order. A half full cup of coffee was tossed on the floor at her feet before being chewed out by how terrible it taste. Her father always made the coffee for all the functions and never had it been deemed terrible, some people didn't like it as much as others but no one was ever put off by it. She figured it was just a lie but she gave him the benefit of the doubt, she didn't like coffee at all so maybe he really didn't like it, but he could have thrown it in the trash or even the sink instead of at her feet, getting her shoes wet and making a mess she would have to clean up later.  
She flinched a little at the sudden outburst but took the verbal beating anyway. Her next order was to show them how to get to the dressing room. She showed them the way up the stairs, through the connector and into the grand hall where she was greeted with another empty room. She hopped that someone would have been there so she wouldn't be harassed at least for a few minutes. She unlocked the door and showed them inside, the room was cool and smelled fresh, not a spec of dirt anywhere.  
The agent scoffed at the room before giving a sharp "it will HAVE to do." He flipped through the items on the table, thinking he was just checking over to make sure everything was there. She went over the list several times and knew there was nothing wrong with it. He slammed his hand through the neat stacks and lines, sending much of the items flying. Katie lurched at his actions but he met her with disgust.  
**"You're just another fan girl. You know nothing of hospitality, look at this mess, BTR will be so displeased with you. The kids upstairs will get to meet their idols but you will never see their faces in person. You are banned from this room and the concert!"** he order, pointing his finger at her.  
She didn't respond, instead she stood there, feeling her heart break into a million pieces as her dream shattered in front of her. She had come so close and even though she had done nothing wrong, she felt so guilty. She felt like crying but stayed strong, acknowledging his order she nodded and left, barely escaping the door being slammed on her. The slam echoed in the empty room, making her wince but it was soon over and she left, passing a group of kids on their way upstairs. She was clearly down and ignored a questioning glance from her friend in charge of the group before going back through the connector and to the executive lounge, which was now empty, to clean the coffee splatter off the floor, door, wall and some of the teacher's books.  
The 8:50 bell rung, all of the students should be already in the gym waiting to see their favorite stars. She had no idea what BTR was going to do, as much as she liked to see it. She was going to give instructions to the agent but he refused to let her speak. If he was wrong in his info, Katie would get blamed from all sides. There would be no way, anyone would believe her, this was her one chance to make a difference and to show everyone that she was more than just some low lacky; but it turned into that anyway. She finished the floor, wiping up the last of the water she used, when she stood up to throw the rag into the bucket only to be met with her friend from earlier. Katie threw the rag with contempt before running a hand through her hair and wiping some sweat that had begun to form before her friend spoke.  
**"What's going on with you? You were so excited this morning, now you look miserable like you don't even want to be here."**  
_"Everything was going fine up until recently, I gave my speech and instructions, answered questions, made sure the guests were comfortable and then the agent for BTR comes off the bus in a pissed off mood and faults me for everything. He's done nothing but yell at me, call me names and destroy nearly everything he touches. In a matter of minutes, the room I spent over a week, preparing for their arrival, was destroyed just by him, before the guys even showed up. He banned me from the not only the dressing room but from the grand room as well, if the other stars need me, I'm screwed. He also banned me from the concert; I'm the guest of honor, and I'll be stuck in here, waiting as everything goes on without me…!"_ She said as she collapsed at a table, eyes beginning to flow.  
**"Does he know?"**  
"_No. I didn't get a chance to tell him anything. He came off the bus pissed, the driver wasn't happy either, they both started yelling at me and demanding answers to their questions but when I tried to give more than they asked for it was a near showdown. I thought at one point the was just going to boil over."_  
**"I'll talk to him, where is he?"**  
_"No! Don't do that! He'll get more mad, he'll fault me for everything and anything he can. And before you say it, even if everyone stepped up to me, he's just going to point fingers at me. He's not going to know who the actual guest of honor is, he certainly wasn't going to expect it to be me. He'll be nice to everyone else he meets, unless he think he can over take them either verbally or physically or if he knows for sure, that they arent the guest of honor."_  
**"What do you mean?**"  
_"Ok, he ripped into me because he assumed I was just the help. I wasn't all giddy when I walked up to him, instead I was professional, but at the same time, I was, in his eyes, just a kid, not a 21 y/o adult. And even if he did see that, he didn't care. He's not going to go after older people like the other staff or teachers. He's going to go after us. But, he's going to pick and choose, none of the officials or agents, know what the guest of honor looks like, the ones at the network HQ know I am 21, but whether or not that info was passed along remains a mystery."_  
**"Well, if they don't know it's you, my guess would be that they think that it's just one of the actual students at this school."**  
_"Probably. Even the stars don't know who I am yet, although they were all happy and thrilled to meet me. I've been called to the rooms several times but that bastard made me stay with him until he was finished with me, so now the others probably think, I quit."_  
**"Or, they might think you are too busy doing other stuff. BTR hadn't arrived yet, so they may have thought you were with them."**  
_"Maybe. That's another thing, if the agent is such an ass, it makes me wonder if BTR is too…It hurts to think that they are but at the same time I guess it wouldn't surprise me…So many stars, always seem so nice but its rare to find a high level celebrity who isn't putting on a fake act just to get some good publicity."_  
"**Then take them down a notch, write about this and spread the word."**  
_"Yeah, right. Who is going to believe me, a random person? Besides, the show is great and the music is…eh, alright I suppose, its not my usual choice of music but it is catchy. Either way, I'd like to see the show continue, so I'm not going to pursue any defamation ideas. At least not now."_  
**"you're choice. Sorry that you have to put up with this though, I know this was supposed to be your day but I am here for you if you need me, ok?"**  
_"Thanks."_  
**"no problem. I'll see you upstairs."**  
_"I cant, banned remember?"_  
**"So what? Come upstairs anyway, rub it in his face, maybe it will get him fired plus the public humiliation will really do him in."**  
_"I cant risk getting BTR in trouble, I cant find it in my heart to forgive them or hate them right now so I still like them. And like I said, I don't want to ruin the show. Besides, I already withdrew myself from the festivities, I told them I wasn't feeling well. They'll give my spot to someone else, and I'll just sit in the computer lab, do some homework or something while I sit in my misery."_  
**"Katie, I'm sorry…"**  
_"Don't be, this isn't the first time a dream of mine has been crushed, especially since I was so close and it certainly wont be the last. That's just the way my life roles sometimes. I'm used to it though, I'm not the most popular person in the world or even this small city. I shouldn't expect things to change so much, like this day was supposed to be one of the happiest days in my life, sure but it wasn't going to change anything either. After everything was all said and done, I'd go back to being the quiet shadow on the edge of life watching everyone else succeed , while I fail, trying just to keep up."_


	4. Chapter 4

_***AN* This new story is going to be part of a 2-3 part series. This is somewhat going to be the background on how my OC Katie got involved with BTR and all of their adventures, so we are going to go way back in time here. The first chapter of this plot was published already as my first story, however it has since been cancelled. The story has changed alot and has a different plot line, i'm not going to give too much away as too how/why so just read on and enjoy. Since this story might get long, there will be periods of lag between updates as I try to 'perfect' the story and tweak it how I want. Grammar and other errors may ensue, I am just filling in some blanks is all.*** _

_***AN* I'm actually surprised I got this chapter done as quickly as I did. There is some adult verbage/angst in here so do read at your own risk. I was still contemplating this story and the plot line and wasnt sure how I wanted it to go and I still dont, nor do I have an ending just yet. This is why it is taking so long between chapters instead of my more usual daily/every other day updates. Bear with me on the prolonged story/update times as I work through the story and details. Feedback/questions are welcome but I wont be giving too much away. I did have a alternate ending/plot to go with this but currently, I have forgotten it, if I remember I will let you all know. Until next time readers!**_

Katie was called to the community center but given her ban, she wasn't sure what to do. Her friend urged her to go anyway, and she would be by her side. The agent for iCarly had a request and question, both of which Katie addressed quickly and efficiently. The agent thanked her and looked forward to seeing her upstairs, but Katie didn't have the heart to correct him.

Katie and her friend, Sandy, watched as the agent left, Katie noticed some trash buildup and was preparing to take it out when Btr's agent appeared gruffly. He didn't see Sandy and yelled out a angry and punishing 'hey' before he noticed Sandy pop out from behind a pillar. He quickly apologized, specifically t her mentioning that he didn't see her, and then made up an excuse for his attitude. He glared down at Katie when Sandy turned away. She noticed Katie starring at him and she quickly grabbed the trash and left, avoiding contact but he stepped out the door as she went out the other one to order her away with his eyes.

Sandy, didn't need an explanation to know that this was the ass that made today a living hell for Katie today. She was tempted to say something or just give him a good one in his ugly face but she didn't want to hurt Katie anymore than she already was by going against her wish. Instead, she just followed a solemn Katie out the far door, closing it behind her. She watched just how bad this jerk had control over her when she attempted to go through the connector, the shortest and practically only way to the dumpster and utility room, and he cleared his throat loudly and she changed direction, going out the front door and walking the ½ mile around the campus.

Sandy didn't follow, since she had to get back to her group of kids but she hoped that Katie would be alright on her own, not only because this was a bad neighbor hood but also because she was so emotionally destroyed. A scuffing sound turned her attention back into the room as the agent dragged one of the blocking boards across the door frame, creating a makeshift hallway to the grand room. She saw him move it with little care, creating drag and scuff marks on the floor that would have to be buffed out later. She also saw a good size group of people move through it, talking amongst themselves, laughing and joking; she assumed it was the band.

She sighed sadly but her blood was boiling at the fact that her best friend was being treated worse than dirt. She went back upstairs and met up with Katie's other friends and word soon spread about the whole ordeal, and they were quite upset. Sandy made it clear of Katie's intentions so they all did their best not to go overboard even though they wanted to so badly. Before returning to her group of kids, Sandy, along with Heather, Blake, and Landon told the head official that Katie was feeling better and would be joining the festivities, however, she was busy at the moment so if and whenever she is needed to let her know and that her cell was running low, so she may not hear it and need to be physically told. The official agreed and proceeded with his own work, as the others returned to Katie's other friends who were watching over the kids, triumphant yet devious smiles on their faces.

"Whoa! What happened in here?" Logan exclaimed upon seeing the destroyed room.

"Looks like someone got into some trouble…" Kendall said, after he saw the room. The agent, who they called Jack, walked in after them full of surprise, pretending like he knew nothing.

"Oh my, what a mess! I guess the staff arent too careful, looks like the door was left unlocked and some fans broke in. I'll have a talk with the staffer in charge as well as the building security. I'll get to the bottom of this and I'll get you guys more food."

"This place is disgusting!" Carlos said loudly as he tried to walk over the mess of spilled and exploded soda, trail mix and silverware.  
"The table is all sticky." James said, picking his hand up and trying to wipe off the residue.

"Everything's wet and it smells in here!" Logan added, opening up a window. Jack had closed the windows to make the room stale, another thing to blame on Katie.

"I want a new dressing room, I am not staying in here!" Carlos demanded. The others seconded his demand and Jack put his hands up defensively to try to calm them as he assured that he would do all he could but this was the only room available. He lied and said that Katie was no help and was hard to get a hold of, like she hated being here or at least catering to them. He said that she was across the hall the most than anywhere else. After the guys ranted some more, Jack gave in and said he would find out some information. He went out into the hall but didn't actively try to find her, instead he waited just outside the grand room, where the guys wouldn't see him and lit up a cigarette, which was against policy and on the contract the networked signed.

The hall filled with smoke quickly but with everyone upstairs enjoying the festivities, he wasn't worried he would get caught, nor did he care. When he was done he tossed the used butt on the floor, squishing it into the grout of the tiles with vengence. He pulled out a spray bottle and spritzed himself to hide the smell of the smoke before returning to the room, telling them he had no luck. They all moved to the grand hall, to get out of the messy room, taking some chairs that weren't damaged and what food they could salvage. With no guidelines to follow, at least what they knew of, since Jack gave them no list of do's and don'ts, they began to just be their wild selves as they tossed a Frisbee, Nerf guns and occasional hackysack.

Katie sat alone in the school's computer lab, as she watched the clock tick by, after taking out the trash, she tried several times to re-enter the building but Jack was there every time, watching and waiting for her, chasing her out each time. No one called her, though which was good, she didn't want to let the other stars down, although it was going to get around quickly once they returned to their dressing rooms. She pictured all the stars mingling as they often did but this time they would be talking about how bad the service was. All she could do was cry at her failure even though it wasn't her fault

BTR had their own fun but they wanted privacy and sitting out in the open, although they were the only ones at the time, wasn't doing it for them. They were ticked off at their visit so far, plus they were tired from a show the night before and they didn't get much sleep before being woken up by their agent and driver arguing. The guys couldn't stand Jack, he was strict, uptight and a jerk, although they had to admit he was pretty good at hiding it at times, his people skills were pretty damn good when he wasn't being an ass.

An official from the network came down to check in on them, since she hadn't heard of their arrival at all and it was well after 9:30. She was relieved to see them and asked how they were. They immediately came off cranky and negative about their room and their time here thus far. The official was taken aback at the guys' mood and disposition as well as what she was hearing.

"That cant be, that room was in tip-top order when I arrived early this morning, and Katie is on top of everything so far, in fact she has been more helpful than anyone else, I just cant believe these accusations." she defended. Jack offered her to see the room and was astonished at the mess, she apologized but still kept Katie's back defending that it must have been an accident. She said, she'd get to the bottom of this. The guys huffed and sneered at her, aggravated at their treatment and figured it was a waste of time.

The official called Katie and she answered right away; the official explained everything and Katie replied positively, keeping the morning's happenings to herself, no one would believe her anyway. Katie arrived in 2 minutes, keys in hand. The guys were sitting against the wall, staring at her coldly as they talked under their breath about her lack of people skills, professionalism and other things. Katie pretended to ignore them but she heard every hurtful word and she was devastated. Her favorite people in the world, although they would never know or believe that now, hated her guts and were acting like the prima divas she feared they would be.

She kept talk short and sweet between her and the official to avoid the showing the cracking in her voice that was fighting it's way out as the tears built up behind her eyes. The official waited a few feet away as Jack stood directly behind her, breathing down her neck. She could feel his anger and icy stare penetrate her skin and knew she was in for the worst feeling ever but she tried to ignore it, just for a few seconds as she focused on the task at hand. She fumbled with the keys, nervous with Jack behind her, but he just huffed and cleared his throat, making his impatience and anger show clearly.

Katie finally found the right key and quickly unlocked the door and turned on the lights. The room was the same size but had very little furniture; the room was rarely used, and sometimes used for light storage. It used to be half of the school's library before it moved into the school building itself but the door, connecting the 2 rooms still remained. Jack followed her in, but she stayed close to the door to have some witnesses in case he broke his non chalant character.

He moved to the far side and stared at the windows. The windows hadn't been opened in years, and she wasn't sure if the would open or not; for all she knew, they could have been sealed. She tried anyway and they did unlock but between her fear and self pity, she couldn't find the strength to open the windows. She glanced over quickly and saw his firery eyes starring at her with disdain and some adrenaline coursed through her fast enough to open the window a few inches. Her palms and fingers hurt from her death grip and even had a few impressions from the holds.

She was weak from it but had no time to recoup before he took a step towards her, hate in his eyes. Her eyes widened as he continued to follow her, she was scared, she knew she broke his rule but what other choice did she have? She was saved only when the official came in to see what was going on. Jack stopped dead in his tracks and glanced at the official and back at Katie as she moved to the door. His face changed quickly between hate and calm as the official looked to him, Katie and the room. She called the guys inside and they were quite pleased with the room, although this one was no where near as messy as the one next door, it was in dis-use so it wasn't as clean as it could have been.

The official had a call to take and then soon excused herself upstairs to leave the group to sort out any other changes. The guys were now calmer and thanked her for the new room and she smiled back, giving a small welcome, keeping her eyes on Jack. She began to panic and feared for her life but she kept her cool on the outside and just began to back out.

"Before you go," Jack began. Katie's heart was pounding out of her chest at his voice, it was calm and his face wasn't threatening but she knew he was up to no good. "I want to discuss some changes and concerns I have. Let's step outside though so the guys can kick back before their show." he continued holding the door as he motioned for her to exit. She walked out backwards but turned around to go around the corner, only to meet him again as he was shutting the door.

Inside, the guys were nice and calm, getting comfy in their new room. James had opened the windows, Carlos and Logan rearranged the furniture to better suit them and Kendall snooped around to see what he could find. A cabinet in the corner stuck out to him and after he checked a few drawers to find nothing, he assumed the cabinet would be empty as well but to his surprise a LCD TV rest upon the shelf inside.

"Hey guys, I found a TV, what do you want to watch?" Kendall asked.


	5. Chapter 5

"You don't seem to know how to listen and take orders. I explicitly told you to stay away, I don't care if you were called by someone else, you are not allowed her nor are you wanted. You heard your precious BTR boys snap at you, that don't like you, so get over and be the useless shit you are. You will never stand out in a crowd, not to them not to anyone." Jack insulted. Katie stood in silence and took the verbal abuse with her pride hanging on by a thread. She couldn't help but let his words sink in as they tore away at her heart and in her mind.

"Does this place even get cable?" Logan asked.

"I don't know, only one way to find out I suppose." Kendall replied grabbing the remote.

The TV turned on with a small pop and took quite a few seconds to turn on only to be met with a quick second of snow than a blue screen. Carlos suggested checking the cables and Kendall turned the TV, James helping to hold it, as Kendall worked at the back. There were quite a few wires which surprised him but he figured maybe it was for an entertainment system underneath where he hadn't checked yet. Kendall maneuvered all the wires, eventually finding the right cable and he could hear his buddies murmuring about the picture but he could tell there was no sound.

The picture was all blurry and full of snow, they could tell that the picture was moving but not in the way a normal TV show would. The picture finally snapped itself into view to show that it was a camera feed. Somewhere a camera was hidden in the area that appeared to be the outer hallway. Kendall flipped stations and the camera switched to upstairs in the gym where all the festivities were being held. The next channel showed them and based on the angle they could pin point the location of the camera although they couldn't directly see it.

Curious they kept flipping through and saw that many cameras were installed, inside and out but most of the shots nothing was happening. Logan stopped Kendall for a minute and told him to go back, which he did. He landed on the channel Logan wanted and they saw Jack, talking to Katie.

"I feel a little bad for her, she's just a kid. Mistakes happen." Carlos sighed.

"Yeah and its punishment enough to have to deal with Jack; it looks like he is really ripping into her too." Logan said

"I think she deserves it. Kid or not, she was given the responsibility to cater to us and she failed, in fact I don't think she was all that into it in the first place." Kendall added

"You have a point there." James agreed

"Whether it was her fault or not, I think Jack is going to far…"Logan said trailing off pointing to the screen.

They all watched as he flailed his arms and pointed at her. It was clear that he was yelling, they couldn't hear him at all, the thick concrete walls really made everything soundproof. Kendall and James opinions started to switch to sympathy as Jack continued for several minutes, only getting stronger and not letting up. Katie was clearly scared and apologetic and was even crying; she just stood and took it rather than fighting back. They sat in silence and could only watch in horror as Jack raised his hand and came down on Katie with all his might, knocking her to the ground.  
Unsure of what they just saw, they just sat in awe, staring at the screen. Katie got up almost instantly after shaking herself off, it was hard to see through the camera if she was injured or not. They watched as Jack continued his assault on her, throwing words at her and fake punches to make her flinch. They were sickened watching this and James got up first to end the brutal assault. He flung open the door but before he could yell out to Jack to stop, Jack took another hit, grabbing Katie by the neck, choking her for a few seconds and slamming her to the ground. Carlos came out just as it happened and Kendall and Logan weren't far behind after they saw the second attack.

James attacked Jack to the ground, stopping him from assaulting a now lifeless Katie. Jack struggled in James grasp but Carlos took his own shot, square to Jack's face, making him black out for a minute. Logan used his medical expertise to tend to Katie who was coming out of her daze quickly and began to move around, despite his instruction not too. Katie was confused and a little scared, she saw Kendall and Logan standing above her and she panicked as everything about the morning was coming back to her.  
Logan tried to keep her calm but ultimately had to hold her down with the help of Kendall as she fought back and began to cry, in her effort to get up.

"It's ok, it's ok, just stay still. We arent going to hurt you, please just relax while we get you some help." Logan assured. Katie calemd down a little bit at his words but was still unsure about the whole ordeal, she had no idea what was going to happen now and she didn't want to find out. She figured she was going to be in so much trouble, that she jeopardized everyone. She just wanted to get up and run away, pretend like none of this ever happened so everyone would go back to the way things were. She put her arm over her eyes and she felt the grips on her loosen and then disappear. She looked up and saw Kendall and Logan both focusing their attention on Jack who was starting to come around.

"Dude, what the hell is your fucking problem?" Carlos yelled to a disoriented Jack.

"Yeah, man, she may have made a few mistakes but that's no reason to beat the crap out of her! She's a girl!" Logan added.

"What kind of sick prick beats a girl?" Kendall asked. Jack came to rather quickly and began his defense.

"She needed to be taught how to respect her elders. She gave me nothing but lip, she didn't care anything for you guys!" he said.

"That's a lie!" James began. "We saw the camera footage and she didn't say or do anything to provoke this attack!"  
Both Katie and Jack looked up in surprise.

"What cameras?" Jack spat. Katie was just as confused, and now scared, she had no idea the cameras were up and running. She had installed them last month but she was told that the electrician wasn't going to be available for some time as well as the inspector who made sure everything was up to code for tax purposes. She had a small glint of hope that maybe, the cameras recorded everything from this morning, she would be clear of all fault and be able to start over and truly befriend BTR. "You little brat, you told me nothing about any cameras!'

"You didn't give me a chance to! As soon as you came off that bus you've been nothing but a deceitful, spiteful, bastard. You bossed me around like I was some slave and treated me like garbage! I've been nothing but try to be nice and helpful by cooperating and you've done nothing but destroy everything!" Katie defended

"You cant prove shit, you lying bitch! No one's going to believe some kid!" Jack hissed

"They'll believe the cameras! As a matter of fact, I can show everyone exactly how the dressing room was destroyed, how I was banned from the dressing room, from seeing/interacting or even helping out BTR, and the great room itself, making me forfeit my title as liaison to the others." Katie threatened

"Is this true Jack?" Carlos asked

"Who are you going to believe, Carlos, me, your trusted agent for years, or some bratty kid you just met?"Jack yelled

"I think we should let the footage decide." Logan said flatly

"You know what, fine, if you guys don't trust me than I'm out of here!" he said as he left. James quickly had him back under control. "Let go, James! I'll have your job!"

"I don't think so, Jack. As stars, we often get away with many things based on our fan base. And as you know we are quite the popular people on the network right now." James said

"If anyone is going to have someone's job, its going to be us with yours." Logan added

"We'll be sure to black list you as soon as we can. You'll never work in this business again." Kendall told him.

"I'll be pressing my own charges as well. I'm tired of being the quiet underling, it's my time to stand up and give the beatings this time." Katie said as she tried to stand up with Logan's help. He told her to take it easy but gave in because of her strong will.

"You're nothing but spoiled brats, all of you! I hope your show fails and your music sucks ass. You'll never make it after your careers are done on the network. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it wont last long. You're all a bunch of talent less, ego-centric losers! Yeah, I destroyed the room, yeah, I caused all the trouble and made the rift between all of you. You want to know what else? It's been me the entire fucking time, all your tours, all your agents, liaisons, and fans that hate you is because of me. The quicker you fall the happier this world will be, we don't need another idiotic boy band!" Jack insulted

"Is that so?" a new voice called out. Everyone looked in surprise towards the new voice to see Officer Fornick, a friend of Katie's dad; Officer Fornick's son, David was also an officer and one of Katie's best friends, unfortunately he wasn't able to come today. "I've heard all I need to hear and based on the damage I've seen in the video room, I suspect you'll be behind bars for a while. I'll take it from here, son." Fornick, said to James. James shoved Jack towards the officer and he didn't fight as the cuffs were put on and his rights were read. "Katie, I suggest taking a visit to the hospital, you took quite a beating, your lucky these guys were here though otherwise this could have been much worse."

"I know. I didn't get a chance to thank you guys yet." She said

"Don't mention it. In fact its us who should apologize." Carlos said.

"We have been kinda moody since we got here. We're sorry we blamed you for all this stuff." Kendall admitted.

"We have a lot of people to apologize too if Jack's really the one who has been behind all this." Logan added.

"We may not have the chance to apologize to everyone, but the people we can apologize to is worth it all." James said as he looked to his friends knowingly. The others nodded in agreement, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "I think I speak for all of us, when I ask if you would do us the honor of being our 'Cover Girl' tonight?"


	6. Chapter 6

Katie was stunned at their offer and had no idea how to respond, she was honored that they would ask her directly, most likely she would have been given the spot anyway, being the guest of honor, but since they didn't know who she was and were willing to make her day was just amazing. She had no time to respond before an emergency call came out, she excused herself as she ran off in a hurry to the gym.

The festivities were just starting despite being after 9:30am and she was greeted by a loud round of applause, confetti, balloons, flowers, celebrities and costume characters. Katie had no idea and wasn't expecting it since she did forfeit her right to being the guest of honor but somehow she still retained it. She looked out to the crowd and saw her friends standing together in a corner with smiles on their faces, cheering the loudest. She knew then that they were the ones who made this all possible. She couldn't keep the tears back as the room became louder. The teachers, staff and other adults who had wanted nothing to do with the whole event were now standing before her.

Her balloons read many different things and she knew that within the half hour that everything happened, Sandy, made sure that today really was the best day of her life, even if it was off to a rough start. After many hugs and kind words, the event began its official start. Music played, celebrities danced and slime was tossed about. Katie's face was nothing but smiles as she climbed through the hidden temple, raced through the Network obstacle course and received the highest honor by being slimed head to toe.

3 hours later it was time for lunch, the kids were moved to the cafeteria where hot lunch was ready for everyone. After lunch there would be some performances by all the casts and then BTR before some final fun with slime, meet and greets and all the rides and games. Then it would be time to go home, Katie would be back the next day to help clean up the mess from the event, although the Network would be doing the brunt of it such as picking up slime, and other garbage. The facility itself like the mats to protect the gym floor from the equipment would be Katie's and her dad's responsibility.

The kids were all wild up from the morning thus far and appeared to be far from settling down anytime soon. All 200 students were gathered together in one lunch wave and to pass the time, Katie was asked to perform with her friends some of their more popular numbers from the internet. Yes, Katie had started a you tube page full of skits, comedy and dances and had become mildly popular, mostly with local residents. The subscriber count was about 20,000 which was pretty decent for what little she did.

Katie had quite a few popular numbers lined up from artists such as We Are the In Crowd, Avenged Sevenfold, All Time Low, Simple Plan, Escape the Fate, and Mayday Parade. She only performed 2 before needing a break, she was tired from her busy morning and was hungry herself. Technical difficulties also played a role but not too many seemed to mind. The kids were now quite and content as they ate their food and then older kids dismissed for recess and the younger children ready for their naps.

After a quick bite, Katie returned to the grand hall to check in with her celebrity guests to see if they had any questions or needs. Everyone was content and just wanted some time alone so Katie happily obliged and left after straightening up the main table in the hall. With the camera's still rolling, although on a new recorder since the old footage was released as evidence in Katie's upcoming lawsuit against Jack, the guys easily saw much of what was going on in the building. They weren't paying too much close attention, as they had their own fun and snacks but caught Katie and her friends dancing on the stage in the cafeteria. Carlos saw her on the monitor and left to catch up with her before she left.

"Wait up!" he called out. Katie turned to see him running towards her.

"Everything alright, Mr. Pena?" She said, remaining professional.

"You can call me Carlos, there's no reason why you shouldn't, I am a normal person after all." he said sweetly. "By the way, what is your name? I'm not sure I caught it."

"I'm Katie." She responded

"Nice to finally meet you then. This way I can thank you properly and treat you like a person. Anyway I just wanted to say that I saw you and your friends dancing downstairs, looked pretty good. All of you were in sync, so I assume this was planned?" Carlos asked.

"Yes, its just a little thing my friends and I do for fun. We made a few videos of comedy sketches, one-act plays, and music videos. The kids were rowdy and restless so we were asked to entertain them while they ate, and we did until the sound started going fuzzy. But its just down stairs, everything upstairs that you will need is in perfect working order. Which reminds me, you'll be on stage around 1 right after all the kids are sent back up." She explained

"Oh, ok. Thanks. I just wanted to let you know it looked good on stage. Really." He replied

"Thanks, it's a bit embarrassing that people with actual talent saw me making a fool of myself." she laughed.

"Nonsense. No such thing as making a fool of yourself if you are having fun doing it. I do it all the time on the show. You don't think its embarrassing to act like a crazy person?" He said pulling her into a half hug.

"You're right. I do have fun."

"That's the spirit. Keep having fun, its what life is all about." He said with a smile, kissing her on the head. One of the doors opened across the hall, and Andre was calling her for a refill on ice.

"I'm on it, Andre, I'll get it too you in less than 5 minutes."

"Cool, Take you're time." he said calmly in his usual laid back tone before going back inside.

"Thanks, Carlos. You're so sweet, your simple words, mean a lot to me, I really do appreciate it. I'll be waiting to hear the concert, but if you need me before than, just call me." she instructed before leaving for Andre's ice.

Carlos went back inside, greeted by his curious pals who didn't know where he went off to. They figured he just went to the bathroom or something and didn't bother to check the monitor to see what was up, in fact they kind of forgot about it. Carlos pulled his laptop from his bag while explaining he happened to catch their liaison, Katie, outside. It was the first time they all heard her name and it had a nice ring to it although it was quite popular. She fit the usual stereotype for a Katie; blonde, blue eyes, medium height. She was a bit shy and a bit overweight but she was a sweet girl and very helpful.

"Did you tell her that we saw her dance moves?" James teased.

"I did actually, she was a little embarrassed. She said she was doing it for the kids and she does it often, even has a you tube channel." Carlos explained.

"Really? Did she mention the name?" Kendall asked

"No, but I thought maybe with some research of what we do know, we might find something." Carlos said

"Well, you are the tech expert, if anyone can find it, it would most likely be you." Logan offered

"Hopefully you can find something, I kinda want to see more. From what I saw, that girl has some moves." Kendall gushed.

"Afraid that your infamous hips might have some competition?" Logan smiled.

No!" Kendall defended. "Ok, maybe, but only because I don't want my hips to lose their twitter fame."

"Are you sure that its not because you want to have someone who can move with you in the 'dance with no pants'"? James laughed.

"You are such a man whore." Carlos stated, jokingly.

"I know right? That's the kind of behavior I would expect from James." Logan said.

"Hey!" James defended.

"Oh come on, the way you go after every girl? You're like Brock from Pokemon, always chasing the ladies." Kendall insisted.

"I don't go after every girl, just the pretty ones."

"Girls are people too you know, they arent just a pretty face and body, they have a personality." Carlos said seriously.

"I know that! God, you guys can be such asses sometimes."

"It's all part of the fun." Logan teased.

"Yeah yeah." James sighed.

"Hey guys, I found the channel. It's under the name DeletedBySociety. It's got music videos, Comedy sketches, fan made videos and one act plays."

"Anything that sticks out?"

"Hmm, she does everything, there are quite a few solo videos on here, singing, dancing, and acting. There's some deep and emotional stuff that she does…the songs she chose range from pop to alternative and slow and faced paced."

"This one looks interesting." Kendall pointed to the screen.

"Looks like a cover." Logan said looking over Carlos' shoulder.

"What artist?" James asked.

"Escape the Fate- Gorgeous Nightmare."

"Isn't that band kind of, I don't know what the right word is…its not creepy but…different? I don't know." James stated.

Carlos had clicked on the icon and the video began to play, the sound had a spooky tone to it but the video itself took away from it for a moment as the song started. Katie was with her friends as they sand, danced and played instruments throughout the song. It was well put together and sounded pretty good, but they got bored with the song and went back to find something else. They chose a single cover of Katie singing and acting in a music video of Mayday Parade's I Swear this Time I Mean it. They were entranced by her soothing voice and the words of the song stood out differently than what they heard in the original version. Her eyes spoke volumes as she sung and hit their heart strings.

"Wow…" Logan said softly, a little choked up. James was in a similar situation, his eyes were red and puffy although he tried to hide it, it was clear that it hit him hard.

"That was amazing." Carlos said.

"Guys, this isn't right." Kendall began. The others looked to him, waiting for him to continue.


	7. Chapter 7

_***AN* This chapter and last chapter got a little off track so if it is confusing I apologize. I'm having a bit of writer's block and I'm not sure where I want this story to lead at the moment so bear with me. Like I said in an earlier AN, There will be some time between updates at some points.**_

_**I didnt include any lyrics to any songs mentioned although I was thinking about it, all the songs listed are real and I do have a wide range f musical tastes, however I prefer punk, rock, pop, and Alternative over all this other stuff of today including bieber, kesha and gaga. Just not my taste. *** _

Katie had since returned with Andre's ice and the cast invited her in for a bit. They had also seen her performance and only then recognized her, Jade was subscribed to her channel because she liked the angst stories Katie came up with. The group acted like they were life long friends, and Tori couldn't help but gush like she was in the presence of a celebrity. Katie played it off like no big deal, because it wasn't; Katie wasn't a huge star like them so she had no right to be gushed over.

Despite the fun, Katie was called back upstairs to the gym to help set up the final touches for BTR's performance. She couldn't wait to watch, she had never been to a BTR show but saw them in videos and the shows looked amazing. She wasn't sure if the guys had really meant it or not if she was going to be their cover girl and she didn't push it, besides she never gave an answer. She was busy as a bee and would most likely be just as busy during the concert anyway and would have to listen afar.

Soon enough it was time for the show and Katie was sent downstairs to get the guys who weren't quite ready. She waited around for a little bit and their security guard called her over and she led them up the back stair case where they would wait in the right wing of the stage for their cue. It was a long but narrow hallway with a small waiting platform, a couple doors lined the left side of the hall, one led to the attic and the other was an extra door to the gym teacher's office and wasn't used at all.

Once they said their chants, shook themselves up and did other pre show rituals they waited, pumped up and ready, as the intro began to play. They heard their cue and they ran onto the stage, full of energy, to be greeted with screams and applause. Katie watched from a distance, sitting on the bleachers alone, ready to go if she was called by the guests downstairs, but enjoying the show nonetheless. Phone in hand, to feel the vibration in case it rang, she danced around and sang along.

"You guys are amazing out there!" James yelled

"Everyone is having a good time?" Logan asked

"Yeah!" came the crowd's reply.

"Awesome! This next song we want to dedicate to a very special someone, and I think most of you know her." Kendall started

"She does a lot of work for you guys, and many times, she is thankless." Carlos added

"We've seen first hand the trauma that happens when someone is bullied to the extreme and we are proud to have been able to stop it before it got out of hand." Logan said

"Although there are countless others who may not have been so lucky, we want to make things right. As small as it is, we just want her to feel special, even if its only for 3 minutes." James continued

"The network official told us that we couldn't do this, but we want to stand up for what's right and we don't care what the consequences are." Kendall said

"Help us welcome, our new friend, and best worker I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, Katie!" Carlos called out. A roar came over the crowd as her friends, the students and staff cheered and yelled in applause. It soon went silent when nothing happened. Katie wasn't coming to the stage, in fact she was no where to be found. The stage hands shrugged their shoulders, noting that she wasn't in the stage wings. Officials signaled that she wasn't in the crowd. Only one official new That Katie was the guest of honor, and she was down stairs, with Katie, getting her ready for her appearance unknown of the guys intentions or mix-up.

The guys were down that she was missing but the officials urged them on and to call the guest of honor. They were obviously frustrated with the decision but James grabbed the paper from a stage hand that he had to read off of. He stared at it for a moment, seeing the name Katie on the sheet, was it the same person? His pause attracted the others' attention and they too wondered.

The crowd roared with excitement suddenly and confused, the guys turned to the crowd to see what was happening but didn't see anything. They turned to the left, to see their stage hands pointing to the other wing. They turned to see, Katie, who looked completely different, no longer was she in her work clothes, now she was in a casual plaid top, black Capri pants and sandals. Her long blonde hair was flowing freely and she tried to hide the excitement, joy and shyness she felt beginning to build up.

She walked slowly out to the center of the stage and she was greeted by huge hugs all around. The stools were brought out as they greeted each other and when they finished, Carlos helped Katie onto the stool and they all took their seats before a stage hand began playing guitar and Kendall began singing 'Cover Girl'. Katie couldn't help but cry; she couldn't believe that this was really happening to her! The guys did their usual hugging and comforting that they did to all the girls as they sang, surrounding her, serenading her.  
The song ended just as quickly as it began but the treat didn't stop there.

"Before we go, we wanted to share with you the extent that Katie's talents go to." Carlos began.

"Some of you may not realize, that Katie has a mildly successful you tube channel. She posts music videos, skits and more. She's full of talent and we wanted to share that with you today." James continue.

"Katie, would you do me the honor, and sing a song with me? I wont tell you what the song is, but I'm pretty sure once it starts playing you'll join right in." Kendall began.

He cued the musicians in the back and they began to play. It took Katie a few seconds before she picked up on the duet song Kiss Me Again by We Are the In Crowd. She was so nervous and shocked to say the least at his song choice but as he sang, his eyes kept enticing her to follow him to the center of the stage as a mic was put in her hand by James. He gave her a smile and a pat on the back that pushed her forward. She looked out to the crowd, back to Kendall and then to the others before raising the mic.

She was quiet but the mic still picked up the words as she slipped them out carefully, still nervous. Kendall raised his mic to sing the chorus and with him, she found the courage to belt out the words with him. With new found confidence, she sang the song with no problem, focusing on him as he sang with her, dancing and encouraging her to continue. She still felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach as well as weak in the knees and her heart beating a mile a minute. She was scared to death of the reactions and embarrassed to be singing in public like this.

Her father was in the audience most and she worried what he would say. It wouldn't be negative, he always said he liked her singing, her mom was indifferent but was the one who put Katie into several school plays, against her will. Katie didn't enjoy although her mom said otherwise. Katie was confused, thinking that her parents were just being supportive parents and telling her she could sing, she ignored it but a neighbor also said she was good. Katie could never hear it herself, she always figured she sounded horrible. She didn't mind singing alone but not in public or in front of her parents; sure she liked to sing, but to music she actually liked, not stuff from school plays. Her parents weren't always thrilled with her music choices, so if they noticed her singing she just didn't want to be put into a chorus or some crap like that; she was tired of it.

The song was nearing the end and Kendall's lines were just finishing, and Katie would be left with the rest of the song, which was only a few lines but she was still nervous and she could hear it in her voice as she thought about it. She managed to hit the last high note and continue with ease, looking into Kendall's eyes before looking out to the crowd as she hit the finish and faded out. She dropped her arms to her side, full of relief as applause sprang up from the crowd. She was glad it was over but didn't quite regret it either. She stood and smiled out to the crowd before turning to the back of the stage where everyone stood, cheering. Stage hands, BTR, the musicians, and officials all whistled, applauded and cheered, smiles big, and arms up.

Kendall grabbed her shoulder and she turned to look, and she couldn't help but hug him tight. He returned the favor, commending her on her efforts. They broke apart when Logan, James and Carlos joined them on stage to get their own turns to congratulate her. Together they stood at the front of the stage and took a bow before the guys thanked everyone for a great day and hoped they had fun as well as thanking Katie for all her work, apologizing for the start of the day, and wishing her the best of luck in her future.

She spent her afternoon, hanging out with the stars as their crews packed up. Katie was lucky enough to be given the rest of the day off to enjoy time with her new friends and long time idols. She was supposed to help the crews clear out and other duties but staff determined that she was deserving of this much enjoyed time. They laughed and joked together, had some lunch, and she even got some autographs and pictures before eventually it was time for everyone to board their buses and head home to Hollywood. Katie walked everyone out and got a tour of BTR's bus since they weren't ready to leave just yet. She said goodbye to the iCarly crew and the students of Hollywood Arts, as the HA agent, gave her some literature on HA.

"If you every find yourself in Hollywood or want to try a semester, give us a call, you are more than welcome any time." the agent said

"Really? That's amazing! I wish I knew about this before; I'm too old for high school now." Katie said a little disheartened

"That's ok, you can still take some acting classes or singing which ever you might prefer." the agent assured

"I'd love to go to Hollywood someday but I don't think I'll ever get to go out that way. I cant afford it, even if I was famous or had the talent to be anyway." Katie replied

"You do have talent, don't let anyone tell you that you don't. We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you again some day." She said as she boarded the bus.

Tori and Jade stuck their heads out the window and waved. Katie waved back as the bus began to pull out of the lot after BTR's bus had moved out of the way and to load up easier. She watched as they drove out of sight and soon enough, iCarly's bus began its slow take off. It stopped just past Katie and the guys gave a heartfelt goodbye and the bus took off again. Sam thrust a turkey leg out the window before following it and raising it in the air, mouth full of food. Both buses, took a while to drive out of sight as they headed up the steep hill so she just stood and watched, tears threatening to come out.

They guys were ready to give her a tour and called her over, she followed them inside and was amazed at just how roomy it was, well to her anyway. BTR and their musicians made it tight especially the taller guys like James, Kendall, and their drummer. They sat in the back lounge for a little bit, eating snacks and even had a nerf gun fight. They were all in their 20's but the childish act, as others would admonish, was quite the entertainment.


	8. Chapter 8

AN* A lot of dialogue, so here is how it stands

_Italics_ is always my character

**Bold** is whoever my character is talking to at the moment

In a three way conversation, the newest addition will be in regular font.

After 20 minutes, the heat of the day began to get to them so they sought shelter in cool bus. The vans were almost loaded so time was running thin. The guys really got to know Katie and even though she was a huge fan, she learned quite a bit about the band that fans didn't know. She took it to heart and decided not to share the information to the world, they trusted her enough to keep whatever they talked about behind closed doors.

It was nearing 4pm, quitting time for Katie's father, he had searched for her but she wasn't in the building and her phone went unanswered. He checked in the school and still couldn't find her, o he stopped by the main office to see if they saw her and after congratulating him on his talented daughter and idle chit chat, they told him that they last saw her outside, seeing the stars off. Satisfied with the answer he left through the back doors that led straight to the parking lot but it was empty from what he saw through the glass as he walked towards the doors. He looked out to the side and saw on more parked in the street and checked it out.

Naturally the bus was unmarked so he had no idea who was on it, he tested the door but it was locked, a member of the road crew was passing by and asked him if he needed help. Upon finding out it was BTR's bus he figured Katie was onboard getting a tour. The roadie didn't hesitate letting him in, when he learned who he was, Katie's dad seemed nice enough but he had that aura of impatience and dislike too many people he spoke with. Her dad wasn't fond of strangers at all, it came from his training as a marine back in the day.

He reached the top of the stairs and saw the bus empty and immediately called out for Katie. She didn't hear him the first time, over the noise in the back lounge from playing Mario kart. When he called out again she heard him and paused the game to answer him. He sounded annoyed to say the least and when he arrived to the back lounge it was clear to her that he was angry and frustrated. BTR greeted him with smiles and proper etiquette and her father replied stiffly, acknowledging their existence but keeping his eyes on his daughter.

In order to avoid this situation from getting worse, she took the initiative in an effort to calm him down somehow. Why he was unhappy, she couldn't be sure but she didn't want to find out here and she didn't want him to blow up at BTR. She was having fun and didn't want this once in a lifetime opportunity ruined.

"Time to go home." He stated calmly. Katie wanted to counter his order so badly, and normally she would but she wanted to be make a good impression and listen. She drove here by herself anyway so there wasn't a need for her to go but still, she didn't really have much of a choice.

"Sir, we it be at all possible if she could stay a little longer? We can drive her home if that's the issue here." Carlos asked carefully. Did he sense Katie's uneasy-ness or could he sense her father's frustration? Wither way, she was scared her father would snap at Carlos, she wasn't expecting them to say anything and in the back of her mind she hoped that they wouldn't, not because she didn't want to stay but because she didn't want them to upset her father.

"Do you want to stay Katie?" James asked, noting that she hadn't responded or added to the conversation since her father arrived. She looked back at James, fear in her eyes, unsure of what to say. Kendall could read it though.

"Your daughter would like to stay, please let her? We enjoy her company. Besides, after today's performance and string of events, I think she is deserving don't you?" Kendall said. His words were sharp but he tried to tip-toe through the sensitive mine field of an atmosphere that surrounded them, getting heavier by the minute.

"No. It's time to go home." He said stiffly to them. "Get in your car, I will meet you home. Say goodbye." He said, turning to leave. He made his way off and out the bus and she watched out the window as he started up the hill to his car. He turned halfway up to see that she wasn't following him, he waited and motioned to her, although he couldn't see her through the smoked windows, and then called gruffly. She finally came out of the bus and the guys followed her off and watched as she walked up the hill to her car, her father watching everyone.

Halfway up she turned to the sound of their goodbyes and waved back and continued up. James and Logan went back inside the bus, Kendall went to talk with a friend of his, Dan, who was the guitarist for BTR. Carlos just stayed outside the bus, a little down at the way things worked out, he was a bit bored now that everyone went their separate ways. Katie got in her car and started the engine, her truck roared with fury after sitting for so many hours in the heat. Her father was already leaving the parking lot and said he would see her home, she had to pick up Shadow before she left, who was resting in one of the classrooms. She would park just outside the side door and head up to the first grade room where she left him. She also had to head to the post office real quick.

Carlos saw her get in the car and saw it come down the hill slowly. He was prepared to wave and stop her for a second to say a final goodbye when he saw her park halfway down the hill and head back into the school only to come out a few minutes later, with her dog and his things. Her dog jumped into the car eagerly and she went to climb into the driver's seat when Carlos caught her attention.

**"I just wanted to say goodbye. It was really nice meeting you, I wished we could have hung out for a little longer. I'll tweet you when I can."**

_"Absolutely, you can text me too."_

"**Ok. I will.**" he said putting his hand through the window before stopping. "**Can I pet him?**"

"_Sure, he loves attention."_

"**What's his name?"**

_"This is Shadow. He's my best bud."_

**"I didn't know he was here."**

_"He was part of security, he stayed mostly in the school and was only in the grand hall before everyone arrived. He stays behind the scenes to avoid distracting the kids and any accidents, there are plenty of kids that don't listen at all."_

**"Is he one of the dogs, you trained?" **he asked, knowing she trained dogs.

_"Yep, he's a jack of all trades professional canine."_

**"Wow, good for both of you."**

"Carlos! Who are you talking too?" Logan called out to him, walking over to the end of the driveway where the sidewalk began.

**"Katie."**

"She's still here?"

_"Hey, Logan."_

"Great, I have a favor to ask, can I get inside again? I want to get some water, our bus is running low and a refill station is about an hour away."

"Sure. I still got the keys so let me park and I'll let you in." she said.

Carlos backed up and Katie rolled down the hill and into the driveway, Carlos following behind. She got out and shuffled with the keys before opening up the main door and turning on the lights. She took Logan and Carlos to the teachers lounge where they helped themselves to the amenities. She was waiting in the lounge part while she heard the guys rustling in the kitchen, when she heard the main door open and shut, she peeked around the corner and saw Kendall coming down the corridor. His face lit up when he saw her.

"I thought you left already!" he exclaimed

"I was about too, I had to pick up my dog from upstairs and then Carlos stopped me. Then while I was chatting with him, Logan caught me and said he needed to get some water and stuff since your bus is running low." She explained

"It is?" he asked. Logan came out just as Katie finished explaining.

"Yeah, dude, I texted you and James." Logan said. The main door open and shut again and soon footsteps could be heard. "That must be James."

Sure enough, he came into the lounge with supplies, nearly oblivious to what he was doing and where he was going.  
"Katie!" he said happily. "That must be your dog out there then?"

"It is." she replied

"He's waiting for you, I heard a dog carrying on for a few seconds and then he went quiet. When I got off the bus I saw you car moving and then he whimpered as I walked." James explained

"Yep that's him alright, he's tired and wants to go home and take a nice long nap!" She laughed.

"We wont be long." Carlos assured

"That's ok take your time. I'm in no rush, Shadow is just impatient sometimes when he gets tired and likes to run the show but he doesn't." She said

"Well, since you are still here, hang out with us for a little longer?" Carlos pleaded.

"Yeah, Shadow can come chill on the bus with us, he can nap or do whatever he wants." James added

"Ok. I cant stay too long, I did promise my dad that I'd meet him home in roughly a half hour." She warned

"Let's go then, I got to go back to the bus anyway and get my stuff for water and what not." Kendall gestured.

"And I want to put mine away." Carlos said, following them out the door.

Carlos continued to the bus, arms full of supplies. Kendall got the door for him and waited for Katie to get Shadow out of her car. He was a bigger dog then he thought, he was all black but in the right light he had brown or mahogany highlights in his fur. She led an enthusiastic Shadow to the bus but he stopped and refused to board the unfamiliar territory. Katie gave a gentle tug but he still wasn't sure.

"Its ok Shadow, let's go, come on." She enticed. He sniffed the air around it and going on Katie's words and his trust, he jumped up the stairs with a slight moan and ran through the bus, exploring every inch, stopping at a vented piece of metal on the side of the cabinet. He sat down beside it, sniffing it, wagging his tail and looking between it and Katie as he stamped his front feet in anticipation.

"What'cha got?" she asked. He licked his lips and pointed again and snorted. "Shadow show me." she commanded. He got up and nosed the panel.

"What is he after? There isn't any food in there." Carlos said.

" What is it, an electricity panel?"

"I think so. It hums sometimes when its really quiet on the bus." Kendall explained.

"That's it. He's sensitive to noises and alerts me to things that are different. He does it with bells, alarms, whistles and even cell phones." she said as she walked towards her dog, who was super excited. She gave him a pat and touched the panel looking it over before dismissing him at a job well done and he continued his exploration.

_***AN* For those new readers, Shadow is my dog, he is a professional k-9 meaning he is trained in many arts such as hearing aid, therapy work, protection and the like. Above is a scene of what he does for hearing work. He has actually done this numerous times and many times it was without my command. His original job description did not include hearing aid since I can hear just fine however, he showed this capacity on his own so he went to 'school' for it to better learn how to alert. Shadow will be 8 years old in another week and a half, and although that is retiring age for him, he shows no sign of quitting. He has been on a semi retirement and he did not like that.** _


	9. Chapter 9

***AN* So I worked out some of the plot line in my head and had a direction or certain twists i wanted to hit but my mind keeps going in other directions and delaying the points I'm trying to get to. This is one of those times, I had to end this chapter a little early/abruptly because I was getting bored with it. I figure if I am bored than the readers would be super bored. Dont leave reviews saying how boring it is, i know it already. There are unimportant details in this chapter as well, things that wont matter at all. This story is really getting off track and is way longer than I thought it would be but I also think that if it was shorter it might not make as much sense.**

**I'm going to try to get this story back on track or maybe just end it and move on to a sequel or something I dont know yet. If I can just hit some plot points, I think I can get the story straightened out, and it'll be fine. Now all I have to do is overcome the urge to write nonsense. lol.***

Kendall gathered his things to get what supplies he needed and was about to head off when Logan returned and offered to do it for him.  
"I don't mind, I've been relaxing all day and I need to get the edge off." He said.

Logan had been a little more distant than the others towards Katie. He offered a friendly smile now and then and participated in chit chat but he just wasn't as in to it as the others. He was grateful for her help and all but Katie figured he was either tired or maybe he thought she was overstaying her welcome. Maybe it was true, every time they offered, she accepted, maybe she should have said no instead. Being the gentlemen they are, they didn't want to hurt her feelings or anything but at the same time maybe they hoped she would have declined and they could leave. She felt bad now that she thought about it.

They were huge celebrities and she was just a lowly servant, a nobody. They did bark at her and hate her earlier in the day and now it seemed like they couldn't get enough. Maybe it was just all a shame, a charade to make things right in order to keep their publicity positive. She felt selfish by trying to be their friend now but at the same time it felt right, like payback. She was deep in thought as Kendall and Logan were talking and Carlos caught her attention.

"You alright?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah, fine, just thinking about something. Plus I am a little tired, it's been a busy day. I don't get how you guys can do this for months." she managed to say at the last minute.

"You get used to it." Logan said with a smile as he left the bus.

"We train for a few weeks and then doing it day after day, we get the routines down, the choreography in sync and then it no longer feels like a work out." Carlos explained

"Plus its all fun. When you don't think of it as work, it goes a lot easier. Especially when you are with people who are like family." Kendall added. Shadow whined and broke up the conversation. He stared out into space but wagged his tail when he saw the response of everyone looking at him out of the corner of his eyes. He looked to her and she offered pets and he obliged. He took a back scratch before leaving and began pacing to go outside.

"Ok, Shadow I'm coming." she said.

"What's wrong?" Kendall asked concerned for the dog.

"Nothing, he just wants to go outside, probably a walk." she said

"I'll take him for you." Carlos offered.

"Really?" She asked

"Sure." he replied.

"Ok. Hang on to him tight, he'll take full advantage of a new handler. Walk him in the over grown area by the playground, closest to the ramp, that way n one will step in it." She instructed handing him the leashes. Carlos had barely any time to acknowledge his orders before Shadow pulled him off balance towards the door.  
"Whoa!" he exclaimed

"Told you. He's a strong one." She said.

"I got him." He said wrapping the leash around his wrist.

He carefully went down the bus stairs and as soon as he opened the door, Shadow bolted out, dragging a yelling Carlos behind him. Kendall couldn't help but chuckle as his friend was dragged away.

"You've trained him well!" he teased

"He's a good dog though. We out our trust in each other to work efficiently and he learns quick. He's eager to please but knows his limits and isn't afraid to tell me." She said with a smile.

"I can see that." he began. "Wanna finish Mario Kart?"

"Heck yes!" she said. Kendall raced to the back of the bus, Katie right behind him as he jumped on the sofa and she crashed beside him, handing her a controller. They played a few furious rounds of Mario Kart, Kendall beating her each time.

"I am so bad at this game but its way too much fun!" she said.

By the time they finished the 3rd game, Carlos still hadn't gotten back with Shadow and she had begun to worry. Carlos had his own dog back home, so she wouldn't think he would take hers, and if he did how would she get him back? Who would believe that she got close enough to BTR that they would steal her dog. Someone stealing her dog wasn't a far off thought, people think that because he is a professional K-9 that he must be worth a fortune and in actuality he was worthless in terms of money.

In the wrong hands, Shadow would cause thousands of dollars worth of damage in a matter or hours with out some method of control, it's the way he was trained. He responded to key words that would stop him in his tracks and switch from task to task in an instant. Shadow meant the world to her and she would be devastated if something happened to him. She knew Carlos was an overall good guy though, so that lightened up her mood if only a little bit.

"I wonder what's taking Carlos? He must be having fun with your dog, he's quite the animal lover himself." Kendall said reassuringly, as if he could read her mind. Almost like clockwork, the door opened and in came Logan and James came in and Carlos soon followed.

"Where have you guys been?" Kendall asked curiously. Logan and James were sweaty and a little red in the face. They had all of the bottles and a bag of other supplies from stop and shop.

"We went for a run, noticed there was a grocery store and got some stuff for the road." Logan replied while James guzzled a cold water from the fridge.

"I went around the block once but I didn't realize it was so bad that I needed a body guard." Carlos exhaled surprised. Despite being Latino, he still stuck out in the ghettos that surrounded the school. His fame made him a more likely target of gang violence. He handed Shadow back over to Katie where he promptly lay at her feet. "So instead I was up front with the crew, walking him around on the grass until he collapsed and refused to move."

"Yeah, he does that. He's eager to please but he's clear when he's at his limit. Another reason why he's ranked so high and a good teaching aid."

"What is taking the crew so long anyway?" James managed to get out, out of breath from chugging water.

"There's extra stuff they cant seem to fit, they had piles of paperwork to fill out, and 2 of the vans were vandalized, so they are being fixed." Carlos explained.

"Oh no! I'm sorry about that, as you may have gathered, this neighborhood really sucks. The buildings have been broken into, destroyed and things have been taken several times. We're running out of ways to keep them out. There are quite a few hotels around here if you need any, nothing fancy though. I think the highest rating we have is about a 3 or 4 star way up east main street." She said.

"Good to know in case we need to stay. Where are we going to keep the bus though? If we leave it here, no doubt it will be in pieces by morning." Logan said.

"The bus doesn't go with you guys?" Katie asked

"Usually the places we stay, arent laid out in a way where our bus can legally park. Smaller commercial buses are fine but large RV's and tour buses are too big for commercial spaces." James explained.

"We usually park them at a truck stop that is nearby. That way it can get washed, recharged, refueled and whatever else it needs. Plus it's safe." Kendall added.

"I know there is a truck stop about 20 minutes from here." Katie began.

"We all stay together to avoid getting lost or into trouble." Logan said.

"Hmmm, I don't know of any other big places were the bus can be parked, the only thing I can offer is maybe parking it in front of my house? It'll be in the street, but its usually a quite street being mostly middle/upper class. A ghetto isn't too far away but we have so many dogs in our neighborhood, no one tries anything. No one will know whose bus it is, and the secret is safe with me, I'll even give you or your crew members rides to the hotel." she offered

"Where's your house?" Kendall asked.

"5 minutes that way." she began pointing down the hill "The hotel is about 7-10 minutes that way" she continued pointing up the hill.

"That doesn't sound to bad at all. I'll run it by security." Carlos said, scrolling through his phone.

"This is going to be so difficult until we get a new agent." Logan sighed

"Are we even getting one?" James asked

"I don't know, I thought Reggie said she would get us a new one but I don't know if he or she will be assigned now or when we get back to LA." Logan said, referring to the network official.

"The vans need several repairs and there isn't a shop around here that can fix it for us today, so we will be staying the night at a place called 'Palace Inn'." Carlos said reading off his phone.

"That's all the way up East Main street, just before the old hardware store." Katie said.

"Awesome, so we'll be in town for another day at least." James said.

"Yeah, we can hang out with you some more, if you arent busy that is."

"Well, I do have to clean up the mess from today."

"We'll help you. With all of us, it will go a lot faster and we can hang out."

"I want to see some sights." Carlos said

"Catch a movie, visit a park, just relax." Logan added.

"Video game marathon!" Kendall said enthusiastically.

"Ok, Ok. I'll show you the sights, or whatever you want to do. There really isn't much to see or do in this town. No movie theaters but we do have a mall, plenty of parks and trails and restaurants like world famous flank steak." She said.

They were excited to hit the town and were prepared to do it now, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. She heard and saw him first before the others did. They froze, hearts skipping a beat, when he cleared his throat.


	10. Chapter 10

***AN* I've been feeling unmotivated when I start new chapters lately so bear with me. Once I start I can keep going and find a plot line for the chapter and keep it moving so dont worry i will finish this story, its just going to take some time. These 'plot twists' if you could call them that, are actually helping me in my writing. I had some writers block then I couldnt decide which direction I wanted to go in and then I couldnt find the right build-up to the next important part. Sometimes its a good thing when your mind creates wild images, or free write or just let your creative self and mind take over your fingers and type whatever flows in.***

Katie's fear in her eyes made sense when the others turned around to be met with her father. He was clearly angry although he was quiet; he was a time bomb at this point. They cowered behind Katie, who was afraid herself. She wanted to run away but she couldn't go anywhere so she just stood there, waiting for him to snap. Instead he just pointed to the door, stepping aside so there was room and after a few seconds, she found the nerve to move and ran by him. She stopped at the top of the stairs to say goodbye and saw them looking at her, eyes wide, full of anticipation, confusion and fear.

"Go!" he bellowed. She wasted no time and flew out the door to her car, Shadow not far behind.

She loaded him in and got in the car herself. She took out her keys to turn the transmission on to operate the windows without turning on the engine. The car was silent aside from shadow panting and walking around the back seat of the car. She kept her eyes on the bus and there was no movement from what she could see. She knew what her father was capable of and worried he might not think things through before he acted on his instincts.

To her relief, he came out in just a few minutes, although it felt longer. He looked to her and pointed home and she started the car and began to back out a head of him. She looked up and saw Kendall and James looking out the side window in the back lounge. She waved to them as she continued out and drove down the hill towards home. Her father wasn't far behind the entire way home. It was a short distance, and they were in separate lanes. Katie had to go up the hill to park her car at her house and her father had to come down the hill, so they split at the fork to go their separate ways and by the time Katie had parked, her father was just coming down.

She got of her car and went inside, straight to her room. Her mother knew the gist of what was going on but not all of it. She could tell her daughter wasn't herself; she expected her daughter to be vibrant after meeting her idols. Clearly her father messed things up and wasn't as gentle as he should have been. Katie ignored her mothers calls as she went upstairs and shut her door, leaving a nervous and upset Shadow guarding the stairs to keep everyone away as he did without any orders.

She could hear her parents yelling downstairs but didn't want to hear it and just focused on something else. Shadow nudged her door open and lay at the foot of her bed. She jumped on her computer to ignore the fight and tried to relax. She did a little writing and checked face book and her email as she always did.

To her surprise and joy, she saw an email from Carlos asking if they could still park the bus in front of her house as well as recommending a mechanic. She replied yes to both questions, directing them to her family's mechanic just down the street.  
The bus arrived late at night when everyone was asleep, the driver parked quickly and turned off the engine to avoid waking up everyone. The windows were open earlier but at night because of the humidity her father turned on the A/C. There was a good chance he wouldn't hear the engine anyway but it was best not to take that chance. They got out and quietly raced up the hill to find the window with the light, which was her room.

Katie's phone vibrated, telling her of a text message. She checked the clock and a smile crept across her face. She checked her phone to see the text from Carlos she was waiting for and opened her shutters and window, quietly, shutting off her light so she could see outside better and not draw attention to everyone. She wasn't able to sneak downstairs at the moment so for now this is all they could do.  
With her father still on the warpath, she couldn't risk leaving the house but the guys had a ride to the hotel anyway. Katie would be alone by the time she woke up and they could visit then, anytime. Their discussion was quick and they took off when a light, one window down came on, and Katie heard her father up. They piled in the van and she could just barely make out waves as they drove out of sight. She quickly got into bed to make it look like she was asleep. It was only just after 1am and it wasn't entirely strange that she was up at this hour but better to be safe than sorry. Plus it was quicker to fake being asleep than awake.

Katie actually fell asleep while faking it and didn't wake up until morning. Glancing at her clock, it read just after 10am, a good time to wake up. She felt tired still and wanted to sleep some more but she forced herself up anyway. The house was pretty quiet, her dad had left hours ago and her mom must have had to go in earlier than normal. Shadow was waiting just outside the door, as was her cat. Both greeted her and she greeted back before making her way to the bathroom to get a shower started.

Halfway through her shower she heard Shadow wandering around the house as usual, he was running and playing with Katie's cat Fluffy; even over the sound of the hard water pressure she could hear them both banging and thumping around and she just laughed to herself at the mess she would have to pick up later. Despite the size difference, they played well with each other, it was the house that was totaled. Fluffy was an indoor cat, she didn't like going outside at all and ran away at the sight of her leash, however she did love going for a ride in the car. If the car was in sight, it didn't matter that she was outside and she would run straight towards it, impatient for the door to be opened.

Shadow had free range to go in and out as he pleased, he wore an electronic collar that was the key to his dog door. He liked to stay in at night so the door was locked from the inside. He usually never left Katie's side while she slept, he'd sleep just outside both bedroom doors to keep watch over everyone. As soon as she awoke, he felt it was safe enough to do whatever he wanted since she was capable of caring for herself now that she was up and alert. His protection didn't stop there, he followed her around and 80% of the time he was within her sights, other times he would just look and listen in the direction she went, and only get up if she was taking too long or if curiosity got the better of him.

Even off harness, he was a guide dog on his own accord. Official service dogs and a majority of working dogs are taught the difference between work and play by the use of the vests they wear, and although Shadow was taught the same way, he continued to work day and night on his own. He felt the need to protect and work with Katie at all times and not just sometimes. That was just the kind of bond they shared, he put his trust in her to guide him through new and treacherous obstacles and dangerous situations as well as to care for him and she never let him down so he returned the favor so she could rely on him to protect and serve. In this case it wasn't too odd that Shadow came running back upstairs a little upset.

Seeing dog outside, the doorbell, or a strange or new sound would often set him off and he'd come running to alert but this was a little different. He wasn't urgent at all, instead he was relaxed but impatient. She acknowledged him but he backed away from her wet hand due to his distain for water. He would drink it but not wear it. He left quietly and he calmed down so she declared it a non emergency and just a passing dog. He got up again but this time she didn't know it until she heard him bark once or twice outside, which was normal as well. He rarely barked in the house and when he was barking outside, it could be from a range of things, the key was his tone and the number of barks, and his were just alerting barks like "I am here". He wasn't being mean or warning anything. Katie was just about done in the shower anyway so she peeked her head out and yelled out the open window to get Shadow to chill out and come inside but she didn't hear the flap of his dog door. He wasn't barking either so she let it go.

She went under the faucet for the last time to rinse the conditioner out of her hair when Shadow howled, hard, followed by his most threatening barking. It made her jump and she nearly slipped trying to get to a window to see what was going on. Before she could, she could hear his barking move, although it was at the same intensity followed by unanimous screaming and yelling, familiar tones too. She didn't waste time with the window and ran down stairs as she heard the yelling and screaming all through her house; at one point she thought she heard someone yelling her name.

She flung open the back door to see Shadow, teeth bared, at the edge of the yard jumping up a tree and snapping his jaws together to tear apart whatever it was he was trying to get at. She couldn't see from her position but didn't want to get out and see whatever it was he was after, afraid for her own life. She just watched in the reflection as Shadow continued to attack and go nuts until she heard her name called again. She looked out again but saw nothing for several moments before she could see movement on the roof of her shed.

She ran outside, wearing nothing but a large towel out to her yard which was muddy and full of sticks from a storm a few days earlier.  
She saw Carlos standing on the roof and Kendall hugging the tree next to the shed as Shadow ran back and forth, growling. She called Shadow back, giving him only 2 commands and like magic he broke his anger and returned to her side, calm as can be and tail wagging lightly. Without a word, the guys came down quickly, shaken up and now a little dirty and lightly scratched up but fine nonetheless. They were a little miffed at the events and wanted an explanation as too why the seemingly friendly dog they played with yesterday, just tried to have them for breakfast.

Kendall and Carlos walked to Katie who stood before them in a towel, dripping wet, and although they were slightly distracted they were still focused on their questions. Carlos looked to Shadow for a moment before looking away but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shadow get up and move towards him. He stopped and flinched, hitting Kendall in warning and he looked too. Katie paid no mind to Shadow knowing his calm demenor meant no harm however she knew the guys body language was getting worked up and she raised a hand lightly to get their attention as the words came out her mouth.

"Wait, don't-" she began but it was too late, Shadow got within a few feet and they turned and ran away yelling. Shadow was now in offense mode and he chased after them, playful at first but it quickly turned deadly.

***AN* Yes more details about my dog Shadow. Like I said, I often use some details from my real life and I have no problem doing so. I dont give out personal info like my town, names of streets or places or whatever. The places I describe are even fudged a little bit to hide the identity. My cat Fluffy passed away almost a year ago and I miss her to death. I do have a new cat, Daisy but she has yet to prove herself to be in my stories. The scene above and the upcoming scene in the next chapter are created from to events that happened in my life and I merged them together. Next chapter there might be some free dog training advice so stay tuned for that!***


	11. Chapter 11

***AN* I've been feeling unmotivated when I start new chapters lately so bear with me. Once I start I can keep going and find a plot line for the chapter and keep it moving so dont worry i will finish this story, its just going to take some time. These 'plot twists' if you could call them that, are actually helping me in my writing. I had some writers block then I couldnt decide which direction I wanted to go in and then I couldnt find the right build-up to the next important part. Sometimes its a good thing when your mind creates wild images, or free write or just let your creative self and mind take over your fingers and type whatever flows in.***

**So this story is getting longer than I anticipated but at least I am reaching my original plot points, however this one wasnt exactly as I had been planning it to be, for the longest time to! At the last minute it changes but the way the story was rolling it makes more sense.  
**

Kendall and Carlos ran yelling out of Katie's backyard and down the hill, Shadow hot on their heels. Katie had no choice but to chase after the three of them although she didn't give it a second thought. She was in just a towel and ran on the hot and rocky tar in bare feet, yelling after the guys to stop running but they couldn't hear her. They reached the end of the first block and it was usually quiet so there was no need for them to stop although they were really paying attention to that factor anyway.

They ran 2 more blocks before running out of steam and slowing down. Shadow, in his old age, slowed down a bit too but was still determined to reach his goal and now with his prey, stopped, he picked up the pace for the final lunge. Katie was far behind, the pain of the burns forming on her feet from the tar and the cuts from running over some glass she didn't see until the last second. She hoped she would reach them in time but with the distance between all of them she was losing hope.

Cars honked as they drove by, noticing this random girl in just a towel and she began to feel shame as the adrenaline wore off. She kept running although now it was just a jog, she kept her head down in embarrassment, but wasn't really looking at the sidewalk and stepped into a ditch, twisting her ankle and landing hard on the cement. She could see the guys in the distance but the heat rising off the ground between them, made it difficult to see where Shadow was. She made a last ditch effort and called for Shadow with urgency, and then a command, hoping it would work before the pain finally got to her and she could no longer focus. She winced in pain, breathing deeply, trying to catch her breath. She only noticed then, that she was drawing attention as people stood in their windows, wondering what all the yelling was about.

Carlos and Kendall were facing their imminent doom and gripped each other as they screamed. Shadow lunged forward but missed and as soon as he landed, he spun around, seemingly a different dog, and left the duo behind, cradling each other. Relief came over them and they sank to the ground when they saw they were safe, but they couldn't help but wonder what changed Shadow's mind. Katie screamed and they looked back to see her on the ground a block away, Shadow heading her way in a hurry. They got up and followed him, although at a distance to avoid being chased again.

They were a block away and Shadow was less than a block; they could see Katie on the ground, cowering from a man who towered over her. They kicked it into high gear and met Shadow's slow canter in seconds. They called to her and the man looked up and ran off at the sight of them and Shadow running towards him. Shadow circled Katie, tail wagging slightly but he could sense she was scared and hurt so he became defensive and got between her and the guys. They backed off a bit but Katie stuck out her hand and Shadow wagged his tail in acceptance; Carlos grabbed her hand and pulled and Kendall helped brace her noticing her reluctance to walk.

Her towel was falling and she had a death grip on it to avoid an embarrassing situation. Kendall wasted no time and unbuttoned his flannel shirt and draped it around her. She took over and buttoned it up and once she was covered, moved the towel to her waist and gave it a firm tie and tuck so it would stay on. She tried to stand but was met with pain in her ankle. Carlos held her so she could lean on him to walk back but it was slow going. Because of their differences in sizes, they couldn't make a support system that would be easy for Katie to use so Carlos gave her a lift and Kendall took Shadow by the collar and they had a gentle walk back to her house, ignoring the many stares they were getting from the neighbor hood after the whole event.

Back at her house in the safety of her yard, Shadow roamed freely, now the same playful and calm pup as before, as if he had forgotten that he wanted to kill Kendall and Carlos; twice.

"When I broke his attention from fighting you the first time, he was calm, but then when he came towards you to make peace, you freaked out and although he thought you were playing at first, when you continued to flail and run he took it as a threat and chased after you. Then he was too far out of range to hear and adhere to my commands." Katie explained.

"Oh…sorry about that…" Carlos said, shying away. He felt guilty that he put her through all this, as did Kendall.

"Important thing here, is that everyone's fine, including shadow so no harm done. So, why don't we bring you inside so you can get into some clothes?" Kendall offered.

Maybe he was feeling embarrassed about being shirtless in front of her, although Katie had no problem with it. Carlos was a little tired from carrying her back so Kendall took over and swung her around with ease as he carried her into the house, asking which way he had to go. He had a small difficulty trying to get up the staircase with the way it was cut out but he managed.

The hall was narrow and messy; he didn't need any instructions where to go next when he saw his band's logo staring him in the face on a blanket. Her room was a huge mess from college classes and work, papers were scattered over every surface and toys, clothes and other equipment lined the floor as well as 2 towers of boxes and bins. Kendall had difficulty maneuvering his way in and tripped over his own feet, falling on top of Katie on her bed. Carlos came up just in time to see the events unfold and rushed to the rescue to help Kendall gain some balance.

Once she was on the bed and able to get up when Kendall got off her, they left her to get dressed. They waited in the hall as they heard her thump around, but despite her injuries, she was dressed in a matter of minutes. She had a pair of crutches behind her door so she grabbed them to get around easier. Once ready she ran a brush through her hair and met the guys in the hall and they helped her down the stairs where she then prepared some lunch, with some help of course.

She got the ingredients and utensils out but then she was kicked out to sit and relax while the two cooks began a feast. She could hear them being busy in the kitchen and almost expected a mess by the sound of it but they took care of it, leaving the kitchen in better condition than it was to start with. She could smell all the different flavors as they wafted into the living room and she didn't have to wait very long before, they both brought in plates and drinks. Carlos had made a jumbalya side dish and Kendall served up some seasoned chicken. Knowing the family's financial state, Kendall went easy on servings, only making one piece for each of them.

They had a good time during lunch as they talked about so many different topics and telling some jokes and stories, asking questions and much more. The guys were going to be in town for a few days, the cars were wrecked and although Katie's mechanic could take in the cars, there was just so much work to be done on all of them combined and parts to be ordered. James and Logan found it no problem and went sight seeing, taking a hike up one of the town's many trails. Carlos did some shopping and Kendall slept in, missing out on a lot of the fun. Carlos was just getting back when he was heading out the door, deciding to see what Katie was up to and if she was alright after yesterday and asked Carlos if he wanted to tag along.

After lunch, the trio went back upstairs, deciding who was the master at Smash Brothers. They had seen Katie's extensive game collection and took a peak at the numerous racks, seeing the familiar title up front. With a little help, Katie was upstairs in a matter of seconds; she was still getting used to the crutches and was in some pain. She grabbed the game and the guys made some room on the floor to sit, before digging out the extra controllers from under the TV in the stand.

They were battling for a while, none of them, showing weakness. They were focused on the game and nothing else although they threw around playful taunts and banter to keep it friendly. Shadow wasn't far off, and soon fell asleep through the noise, as his dreaming told everyone. Despite the cheers and the volume on the TV, Shadow remained asleep. The trio were focused on the game and each other anyway and paid no mind to his dreaming, in fact they could barley hear it, or anything for that matter.

They didn't hear the car coming down the hill, the car door slamming, the rustling of leaves and grass in the backyard, the echoing of the deck, the squeak of the back door or the footsteps coming upstairs. What they did hear was the same sound that made them freeze in fear yesterday, although this time it was accompanied by a roar of anger, with no time to prepare for the oncoming onslought.

"What is going on in here!" Her father yelled. "What are these two doing here!"

"Daddy I-!" She began.

"No! I don't want to hear it! I want them out, NOW!" he countered

"That's not fair!" she insisted

"How dare you betray me by bringing boys into my house!" he demanded

"We're just playing video games!" She assured

"Honest sir, we were!" Carlos pleaded.

"I don't want to hear it! I cant trust your words, after pulling a stunt like this!" he yelled. He turned his attention to the cowering boys on the floor. At eye contact, they both dropped their controllers and scurried away as best they could in a sitting position. Seeing their fear, made her father take advantage of the situation and he went for them with force. They scrambled to their feet and flattened themselves against the bookcase, eyes wide. It was like staring death in the face. Katie had managed to stop her father but not for long, he was 10x stronger than she was, if not more, so she was nothing for him to pick off however he didn't want to hurt her so he took his time in removing her instead of using force.

"Let go!"he insisted

"No!" She yelled back. He began to move her fingers but she kept fighting back and finding new grips. "The window!" she yelled back to them. They stood for a moment confused, then looked to the window behind them and at their fate ahead of them. It took only a few seconds for them to weigh their options of life or death and they opened the window, and climbed out onto the roof.  
Angry, her father brushed her off and went downstairs, intent on catching them. She hobbled to the window and hurried them off the roof. Although she was on the second floor, her house was built into a hill so her room wasn't far from the ground. The guys jumped off the roof, landing in a soft pile of fresh soil and quickly dusted themselves off before taking off down the hill; hearing the back door open as they went. They had no ride away, since they were dropped off, and just relied on their legs, which were tired from their earlier workout.

They quickly got lost in the center of town and they were scared for their lives not only from Katie's father who was no longer chasing them, but also because they were out in the open, in broad daylight with no friends, or body guard. Kendall's phone had fallen out of his pocket and he had no idea when or where and Carlos only had a small bit of battery left to try and call for help. They wanted to hide, but remembering what Katie had said about the crime in her town, they figured for safety's sake, it would be best to stay out in the open where there were witnesses.

***I was trying to figure out some details and such because some points werent making sense. The bus wasnt mentioned in this chapter at all and i know what you might be thinking, if the guys were in trouble why not go to the bus which supposedly was outside Katie's house? Well, the bus was parked at night, and left in the morning to fuel at the truck stop the next town over so it wasnt there to begin with. If it had been, it most likely would have been towed by Katie's father. And if it wasnt, hiding in the bus when her father was trying to kill them wouldnt help at all, their best bet would be to out run him, which although he is a fit ex-marine and super strong, he is well aged so his stamina has decreased over time.***


	12. Chapter 12

***AN* I've been feeling unmotivated when I start new chapters lately so bear with me. Once I start I can keep going and find a plot line for the chapter and keep it moving so dont worry i will finish this story, its just going to take some time. These 'plot twists' if you could call them that, are actually helping me in my writing. I had some writers block then I couldnt decide which direction I wanted to go in and then I couldnt find the right build-up to the next important part. Sometimes its a good thing when your mind creates wild images, or free write or just let your creative self and mind take over your fingers and type whatever flows in.***

**So this story is getting longer than I anticipated but at least I am reaching my original plot points, however this one wasnt exactly as I had been planning it to be, for the longest time to! At the last minute it changes but the way the story was rolling it makes more sense.  
**

**I've started to draw some sketches as story covers. However the way that I drew them, their size and what they might contain, they cant be uploaded here like I wanted. The problem is mostly the orientation of the drawing, I prefer to draw landscape rather than portrait so obviously this causes problems with the uploader. i am by no means an artist, I dont have my own style yet but my imagination and creativity is limitless, in many cases it only takes a minute or 2 to figure out the scene I want to draw in regards to the title. I cannot draw people, but I can draw cartoons, however my sketches are people based not cartoon so in short, they are pretty bad. I will upload them eventually but to my DeviantArt account. Most likely the sketches wont be colored just for time reasons however if I manage to get them uploaded in a decent way and not by use of a camera, fans are welcome to color them using their own computer or print out and color I dont care. I type up more info as I'm closer to being ready to upload. Until then enjoy the story! :)  
**

Kendall and Carlos had no idea where they were and there wasn't anyone around that they thought they could ask for directions, so they just kept walking and hoped they would come across something familiar. They walked for about an hour and had only gotten themselves deeper in the city but towards the country side of things. They hadn't really noticed the drastic difference until they heard a horse whinnying. Looking around, all they could see were houses and not much, if any farmland.

"Over there." Carlos said pointing to a small iron wrought sign of a horse.

"Davis Farm. Let's see if anyone is around to give us directions." Kendall said walking up the long driveway.

The barn itself was in the way back of the property and 4-5 houses lined the driveway which was actually a street. By the looks of the setup it appeared that this was a family complex, each housing a different generation or sibling. The barn was nothing spectacular, being only a hobby farm of sorts, it was quite small on the outside and 80% of the land was dirt.

The horses welcomed the new faces in a barrage of whinnies and neighs, stomping their hooves in the dirt and extending their necks over the fencing. The guys couldn't help but pat the horses on their way to the barn. They were kind of surprised to find that no one was coming out at the sound of all the neighing so they went inside the barn which turned out to be quite roomy, but still found no one.  
They went back out and began their journey back down the driveway only to be stopped by an older gentleman who was gruff with them at first, thinking they were hurting the horses. He had heard their carrying on while he was in the field next door tending his plants and came over in a hurry.

"What were you doing!" he asked gruffly.

"Please, we mean no harm, we're just lost and were looking for someone to give us directions." Kendall said, putting his hands up.

"Where to?" the man asked calmly

"Uh…" Kendall began trying to remember. "Carlos, what was the name of the hotel?"

"I don't remember. It was on main street I think, near a hardware store?" Carlos replied

"Hardware store…?" the man repeated "Ah, yes, there is a hotel way far up, on the east side of town. You boys are quite far from there, did you walk all this way?"

"Not from the hotel, we got a ride from our man- ow!" Carlos said before being cut off. Kendall had elbowed him at the word 'manager', he thought it would be best if they refrained from revealing their stardom. The old man looked at them confused from their actions."

"A friend of ours dropped us off at another friends house while my car was in the shop. We had to leave suddenly and got hopelessly lost. Our cell phones are dead and we cant reach our ride." Kendall finished

"Ah, I see. Does your friend live around here? I might know her." He asked

"No." Carlos said. "Wait, how far is Stammer Private School from here?" Carlos asked

"Not that far actually, it runs parallel to this street here However it's about ¾ mile back and a mile to the west." the old man replied

"Let's stop there first, maybe we can find someone there to help us. I don't want to take on that hill and then maybe we can try to make amends with Mr. Pryszweic." Carlos offered.

"Are you nuts? He wants to kill us!" Kendall said

"Garrett Pryszweic?" the old man questioned

"Uh, not sure what his name is. We didn't get that deep into conversation." Carlos said

"Does he have a daughter Katie?" he asked

"Yes! She a friend of ours!" Kendall lit up

"We were just at her house when we were chased out by her father." Carlos explained

"What happened?" the man asked

"It's a long, complicated story. A story that he is wrapped the wrong way on." Kendall sighed

"I see. Garrett and I go back a bit, we are good friends. Just like me he is protective of his daughter. All my daughters are married so I have nothing to worry about anymore but I can see where he is coming from. Katie is still unwed and young, oh she must be at about 20 now. Katie often helps out around here for school credit." he explained.

The guys were relieved a bit knowing that they were in a safer place but at the same time it was still a little daunting being in the presence of a family friend to Katie's dad. No telling what could happen now. They thanked the old man, who turned out to be Mr. Davis himself, owner of the whole property and they began their hike in the direction he pointed them in. It took another hour before they arrived, getting momentarily lost, twice on the way. The campus was barren, school had been only a half day today. They walked around a bit trying to find Mr. Pryszweic anywhere but buildings were already locked, and shut down for the day. They sat for a moment on the main stairs just trying to regain some energy, before being shooed by police patrol. The area was heavily patrolled after several crimes in the area as well as the campus being vandalized and broken in to, as seen by their destroyed automobiles. They gave no confrontation and apologized to the officer and walked off quickly.

They headed around the corner and began down, talking amongst themselves when a noise caught their attention. They couldn't see anything but they could hear chains or some sort of metal rattling, some light yelling or talking and noises of a piece of equipment. They heard Mr. P's voice and he sounded a bit angry so Kendall and Carlos ducked behind a row of bushes, waiting to see what was going on.  
The clanking metal got louder and soon enough, even in their crouched position and through the bushes, they could see bits and pieces of a piece of equipment being moved along a pathway in the gully surrounding another building. It was full of logs, and brush from a fallen tree, most likely pushed over during the recent storm.

The logs were thick and piled high and the cart itself was quite large. It appeared to be a mechanical cart but the engine couldn't handle the heavy load on its own, by the sound of the loud humming and straining when it stopped, so it was being pushed by Mr. P. He wasn't alone though, something was helping him along. A car would have made sense, even though the building was in it's own gulley and there was an even lower valley to the right of it, a car would have fit through the bottom valley gates and up the hill to gather the tree and its pieces. But there was no vehicle of any kind.

The cart went out of view as it rounded the corner but they could still hear the moaning and groaning of the cart as it got louder, indicating the strain of going up hill. Until the cart made the first crest they couldn't see anyone or anything else. Katie was at the front of the cart, pulling it along as her father pushed behind. She was limping and in pain from her injury from earlier, sweat pouring down her face. She was tired, weak and looked as if she wanted to cry but she kept going, pulling with all her might every so often. As she got closer, they could see she was wearing a body harness that was tied to the cart which explained all the metal clanging.

Although it looked abusive, halfway up the hill she stopped, needing a moment to rest and there wasn't any resentment from her father who waited about 10 seconds before asking her to continue to which she got up and took position. On his word they moved in sync and the cart moved inch by inch until it garnered it's regular speed. The worse for wear look she had had half way up the hill seemed to dissipate quite a bite with the 10 second break she had moments ago. She pulled the cart up the hill the rest of the way, seemingly with ease and rounded the corner, just in front of the guys to toss the logs and bags into the dumpster.

She remained hitched to the cart, leaning on one leg to give her twisted ankle a rest, as her father threw the bags into the dumpster. He came back for the logs but needed help so she unhitched herself, quickly. So quickly in fact that the confusing messy tangles of rope and chain were no match for her, she knew exactly what went where, indicating this wasn't her first time as some sort of draft animal. She and her father worked as a team, lifting the logs up and over the side of the dumpster with ease. The cart was empty in a matter or minutes.

She remained unhitched and they walked back down into the gully to get another load. The guys had seen enough, was this punishment for what happened? If so this was harsh, it wasn't her fault at all. Was he taking his anger out on his own daughter because he couldn't get to them? What about her injuries? Didn't he care that she was hurt? Why would he make her work like some animal? Whatever the case this had to stop. The walk back to the pile of lumber wasn't all quiet, though and both Katie and her father exchanged words, neutral and unrelated to work which was good but still didn't make up for what they had seen so far.

"Come on, let's go." Carlos said taking the lead. Kendall was unsure of taking a stand, knowing his enemy but stood behind his friend anyway for Katie. They walked behind them at a distance, making some noise in hopes she would hear them. Katie could sense she was being followed and could hear noises but she didn't turn around. When heading to the dumpster before, she could smell something familiar but couldn't place it, it was Carlos' cologne that she had smelled and she waited to smell it again in case it was the same person following her. She didn't want to lead on that she knew in case she had to fight.

She was a little scared though, she knew the dangers of the neighborhood but were surprised that the assailant was ballsy enough to try something in broad daylight, in a public and well traveled space and with the two of them together. Katie worried about her dad's health, although he was fit and strong, his speed and energy decreased in his age. He worked alone and although he wasn't in one place for long, there was still the risk that someone would attack him if they thought they could get the jump on him. She was confident in his ability to put up a fight but she knew he wouldn't win against more than 1 person. She helped him out a lot and today was no different, although she was dragged here against her will sort of as a punishment for betraying his trust and having guys in the house. Even though they were famous idols and one of Katie's favorite music groups, it made no difference.

He wasn't mad at her for long though, but she was still scared and depressed at the days events and nervous around him as was usual. He could really rip in to her if he wanted too so she just prepared herself for it. Life was really kicking her butt at the moment and each event brought her down more and more. The yelling, the fighting, the failures, everything. It was one thing she hid well on the outside but on the inside she was drowning in her own body.


	13. Chapter 13

***AN* I've been feeling unmotivated when I start new chapters lately so bear with me. Once I start I can keep going and find a plot line for the chapter and keep it moving so dont worry i will finish this story, its just going to take some time. These 'plot twists' if you could call them that, are actually helping me in my writing. I had some writers block then I couldnt decide which direction I wanted to go in and then I couldnt find the right build-up to the next important part. Sometimes its a good thing when your mind creates wild images, or free write or just let your creative self and mind take over your fingers and type whatever flows in.***

**So this story is getting longer than I anticipated but at least I am reaching my original plot points, however this one wasnt exactly as I had been planning it to be, for the longest time to! At the last minute it changes but the way the story was rolling it makes more sense.  
**

**I've started to draw some sketches as story covers. However the way that I drew them, their size and what they might contain, they cant be uploaded here like I wanted. The problem is mostly the orientation of the drawing, I prefer to draw landscape rather than portrait so obviously this causes problems with the uploader. i am by no means an artist, I dont have my own style yet but my imagination and creativity is limitless, in many cases it only takes a minute or 2 to figure out the scene I want to draw in regards to the title. I cannot draw people, but I can draw cartoons, however my sketches are people based not cartoon so in short, they are pretty bad. I will upload them eventually but to my DeviantArt account. Most likely the sketches wont be colored just for time reasons however if I manage to get them uploaded in a decent way and not by use of a camera, fans are welcome to color them using their own computer or print out and color I dont care. I type up more info as I'm closer to being ready to upload. Until then enjoy the story! :)  
**

Katie was about to pull another load, hitching herself back up and stood waiting, for the go ahead from her father who was loading the last few piles into the cart. She heard footsteps and looked up, anxious to see what would happen. Her heart pounded and then sank when she saw Kendall and Carlos appear around the corner. Her father was still busy and hadn't seen them yet so she tried to shoo them away before he did see them, otherwise trouble would abound. At this close range, there was a good chance he would catch one or both of them.

They stopped dead, not sure what to do. They wanted to help her and figured she needed help but were confused by her display. They did as she asked and backed off but remained within sight as they tried to communicate from a distance. Katie kept communication to a minimum, always looking over her shoulder to see what her dad was up too, to avoid any curiosities from him. She was paying attention to their end of communication and slacked off on her surroundings and was startled by the last load dropped in the cart and he gave the command to move forward.

She hesitated and motioned a little bit, inconspicuously to get the guys to move first before she began. She made it slow going at first, to give them ample time to move and when she rounded the corner she was relieved to see them gone but at the same time hurt. Her distraction caught her dad's attention, wondering why she was slowing down and drifting a little. He snapped a quick and pushy warning and she immediately went back to work and rounded the next corner which was a tight entry way that needed her full attention.  
She was pulling with no problem but the cart suddenly stopped and she was jerked back from the resistance.

"Would you like some help?" a voice asked behind her. She knew the voice, it was Kendall's. she didn't want to look at the fight that was about to happen, instead her eyes filled with tears, and a hand rested on her shoulder from Carlos.

"No, I don't. Now get out of my way, we have work to do." her father replied "Let's go" He yelled to his daughter and she began again.

"Is this some kind of punishment?" Kendall asked

"If your mad at us, fine, but there is no reason to take it out on Katie." Carlos said

"She chose to help me. I asked and she said yes." He replied

"But this too much, she's injured and you make her work like some animal?" Kendall continued

"She may be a girl but she's strong. I don't need to explain myself to you, now leave." He ordered

"You know what, not this time. This is abuse!" Carlos defended

"Carlos!" Katie turned to him scared.

"I'm not afraid. This girl is too nice for her own family to take advantage of her." Kendall started

"Carlos, please it's not like that!" Katie tried to but in.

"Quiet! I don't need to be defended!" her father snapped. "You don't think I take care of her? I put a roof over her head, buy her clothes, and food. A little manual labor never hurt anyone and it's the least she can do in exchange for rent."

"You're her father, you're supposed to care for your child." Carlos advised

"She's 21, unwed and without a job, she's more than capable to fend on her own. Instead she sits home on a computer. I was working at age 8 and there is no reason why she couldn't get a job at that age." he insisted

"Child labor laws." Kendall said.

"I would have signed a release. All the wasted years that there could have been three sources of income." her father defended

"You're a selfish man, how dare you call yourself a father!" Kendall continued

"Hey! Are you going to let them talk to me that way?" he yelled to Katie

"You just told her not to defend you, what do you want from her?" Carlos said

"You don't deserve her, we're leaving and taking her with us." Kendall said, walking to her.

Carlos had already detached her traces when Kendall took her by the hand and dragged her off. Katie had no idea what to do at this point and just followed Kendall. She looked back at her dad who was left stranded with a cart of brush and she couldn't help but cry at the most likely outcome of all this. She heard her father yelling and couldn't take it anymore and fought her way out of Kendall's grasp. Not wanting to hurt her but at the same time surprised, he let go quickly to find her full of tears. She stared into his soft and questioning eyes with her tear filled eyes and shook her head.

"I cant do this. I cant leave him behind. I may not have much going for me in life and I may be abused at times but my parents are the only people left on this earth that I can count on. The only people I have left period. I don't have many friends, or social contact. I'm the most hated person in this town if not the state and I've been hurt too many times to just up and leave. This is all I know that is true and safe. I like you and Carlos and the others of BTR but I cant trust big name celebrities to save me or be friends with me just because they want too. There has always been a catch or an ulterior motive behind anyone being nice to me. I don't have the trust to give, I don't have the will to live anymore. Please, Please don't take it personally, keep making the show, have fun on the road, and just forget about me. I am just one person on this huge planet; there are so many others, people who are worse off than me, tend to them, rescue them from their pit of hell and let me suffer in silence alone where I know it's safe. I just cant take being hurt and used anymore." Katie said softly. Her words were sharp but at the same time, they were kind, gentle and forgiving. She smiled at them, gave them a hug and thanked them for the best past 2 days she has ever had in her life and without another word, walked right back into the hell they so desperately tried to save her from.

***AN* Short chapter, I felt it was a good place to stop, plus it was so angsty and such it was making me tear up. I am not abused at home just wanted to make that clear. I do have bouts of mild depression now and then though. I use my emotions to my advantage when I write, helps put it into my story. If I think about a specific moment in tie when I felt the way i want the characters to feel, I can translate it into the words they speak, making the context easier to comprehend in terms of the emotion, at least in my head anyway lol.***


	14. Chapter 14

***AN* I've been feeling unmotivated when I start new chapters lately so bear with me. Once I start I can keep going and find a plot line for the chapter and keep it moving so dont worry i will finish this story, its just going to take some time. These 'plot twists' if you could call them that, are actually helping me in my writing. I had some writers block then I couldnt decide which direction I wanted to go in and then I couldnt find the right build-up to the next important part. Sometimes its a good thing when your mind creates wild images, or free write or just let your creative self and mind take over your fingers and type whatever flows in.***

**So this story is getting longer than I anticipated but at least I am reaching my original plot points, however this one wasnt exactly as I had been planning it to be, for the longest time to! At the last minute it changes but the way the story was rolling it makes more sense.  
**

**I've started to draw some sketches as story covers. However the way that I drew them, their size and what they might contain, they cant be uploaded here like I wanted. The problem is mostly the orientation of the drawing, I prefer to draw landscape rather than portrait so obviously this causes problems with the uploader. i am by no means an artist, I dont have my own style yet but my imagination and creativity is limitless, in many cases it only takes a minute or 2 to figure out the scene I want to draw in regards to the title. I cannot draw people, but I can draw cartoons, however my sketches are people based not cartoon so in short, they are pretty bad. I will upload them eventually but to my DeviantArt account. Most likely the sketches wont be colored just for time reasons however if I manage to get them uploaded in a decent way and not by use of a camera, fans are welcome to color them using their own computer or print out and color I dont care. I type up more info as I'm closer to being ready to upload. Until then enjoy the story! :)  
**

Needless to say the guys were hurt by her actions and also confused. They had finally managed to get a hold of their manager and got a ride back to the hotel and despite all his questions, their manager was given the silent treatment, as they were driven back to their temporary home. They were too upset and frustrated to deal with anyone so they just went to their own rooms to let off some steam.  
Their manager, Luke, was left confused but just let them be. Logan and James hadn't seen the others yet but seeing their confused manager rose questions that Luke couldn't answer himself. He told them that Carlos and Kendall seemed down and they wouldn't talk so he just let them be and suggested that they do the same. Naturally Logan and James were concerned about their friends and began to fish for answers.

"All I know is I drove them to that girl's house who was housing your bus and then they called me in a panic 4 hours later on the other side of town. Something must have happened between the three of them and I have no idea what nor do I want to be involved right now." Luke explained

"I knew something like this would happen." Logan began. James raised a brow at Logan's sudden excitement. "She must have had something to do with it, she is just another rabid fan after all. She may have some talent in singing or whatever but she's not special like you guys think she is!"

"Logan, what the hell man? This isn't like you at all." James pointed out.

"Whatever man, that chick is nothing but trouble since we first met her. She was a lousy server and now she's trying to weasel her way into our friendship where she doesn't belong." Logan insisted

"That's enough Logan! You know damn well that she did everything in her power to make things perfect for us, it was Jack who caused all the trouble. You saw the footage, you saw him beat her! It's like you don't even care!" James fought back

"I care enough to know that she's ripping our friendships apart! I mean look at us and how we're fighting, all because of her and what she started. I cant be the only one who sees this!" Logan said

"You're out of you mind." James replied.

"Fine. I give up, you want to let her ruin everything then fine. But I am not about to let this career die out this soon. You can join me and save our future or you can walk out on a life time of friendship. The choice is yours." Logan offered.

"Logan, you know I would never betray you guys, but I need to get to the bottom of this and find out for myself what is going on. If you want to save our friendships and our celebrity lifestyle, you'll let me do this." James rebutted. Logan was silent for a minute, staring his friend in the eyes, before walking away without a word. "Logan?"

"I'm trusting you to fix this." He said to the side before catching the elevator and stepping inside.

Logan stared his friend in the eyes with determination and trust as the doors shut. James turned to Luke to get a ride but Luke just handed him the keys instead.

"Here, I'm tired of being everyone's lackey. Besides this is WAY too much drama." he said walking away.

James left in a hurry and made his way to Katie's house to find it empty. Not knowing where to go next he sat in the car for a moment before remembering that she worked at the school on occasion so he checked there. He drove by and saw the same scene Kendall and Carlos saw and was appalled to see her being used in such a way. He stopped the car and jumped out in front of them, scaring Katie right away. Her dad wasted no time in trying to chase him off. James flinched at the display but quickly toughened up to try and help his new found friend that he still believed meant no harm.

James was ready to fight, both with his words and fists as her father approached. Her father's words and threats seemed to disappear when he looked to Katie and saw the sadness and fear in her eyes. Without thinking or even knowing, he dropped his fists, still staring at her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he watched her look between him and her dad and as he looked between her dad and her. He no longer felt violent or offensive and wanted to take everything back. He went limp and his face softened. He could see her father talking but the words were just mumbled sounds to him.

"Look, I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to come off so rude and offensive. I just came back for some answers, something is going on with Kendall and Carlos and I just…I just want to make sure everything is alright."

"Your 'friends' tried to kidnap my daughter! Not only that, but before, I caught both of them in my house, in her room." he spat.

James couldn't believe he was hearing, not at all. All he could do was look to Katie for something different but she wasn't even looking at him. She was crying though, he could see that.

"Sir, please. Whatever they did, I'm sure its all a misunderstanding. I just want to make things right, I want to apologize. I know we got off on the wrong foot and you are just protecting your daughter from some random guys you don't even know, but I assure you, all of us are just friends. Or at least we were, everything seems to be falling apart fast and I don't know how to fix it…"

"I don't know much about you and you are right, I am protecting my daughter from scum such as yourselves. From what I do know is that you are celebrities, ones that my daughter likes very much. I don't trust any of you and I am not about to take a chance that any of you or her, get an idea to go off together. She may be unwed but I am not that desperate to pair her off to some stranger. Celebrities are nothing but trouble and if word gets out she is shacking up with one of you, her life will be in danger. She is safe where she is where I know where she is and what she is doing. She is more useful to me here than off with you, not working." he said gruffly.

James was insulted to say the least but he understood where the man was coming from. James had nothing more to say only because he didn't know how to respond and just left after accepting her father's answer. He mulled over a few different ideas and schemes to try to fix this mess but first he had to get the others in on it.

James came into the hotel in a hurry. His mind was swirling with so many different things he didn't know where to start. Hotel staff attempted to approach him in a normal manner as they did with all their guests, but never had the chance as James swept past them. Both elevators were in use so he took the stairs, running up the first 3 flights with ease. He made it to the 7th floor and pounded on everyone's rooms. They all opened their doors confused as too who was knocking since they couldn't see anyone and found James standing in the middle of the hall.

"All of us need to talk, right now." he ordered.

The others didn't question his order and propped their doors open before being herded into James' room. They talked for several minutes after James gave them the story to unite everyone, then lectured them. They all came up with the same answer and plan to solve everyone's problems, Katie included.

"Then it's settled." James finished.

They all agreed and began to form the details of the plan. It was late in the day by the time they finished and they ordered some room service for dinner to their own rooms where they relaxed for the remainder of the evening before turning in for the night. They were all tired but also anxious and found it difficult to fall asleep. Morning seemed so far away as they stared at their ceilings, out the windows to the sounds of the eerily quiet city and to the clocks the stared them in the face, numbers seemingly refusing to change.

Eventually they did all fall asleep one by one and morning came quickly or at least to Logan who was the first one awake, he was also the last to fall asleep. He had only gotten about 4 hours asleep which was kind of normal on the road but he still felt restless. It was too early for the others and way to early to visit Katie so he sat in silence, watching some TV, waiting for the minutes to just tick by.

A knock on his door caught him off guard, glancing at the clock, it was only just after 7 so he wasn't sure who it could be. Logan was partly decent but not knowing who it was he grabbed a towel just in case. He opened the door and Carlos was on the other side.

"What are you doing up?" Logan greeted quietly

"Couldn't sleep. I'm too nervous about the plan." Carlos replied sheepishly

"Come in." Logan said, moving aside. "What are you worried for?"

"Are we making the right decision? I mean I want to help her and get her away from all the abuse but she doesn't want to leave." Carlos asked, plopping down on Logan's bed

"It's all she knows, Carlos. You can't blame her for not trusting us when she has no one else in her life." Logan said

"But doesn't she want to be saved? All the movies I've seen the abused or bullied kid is always rescued in the nick of time and it all works out. None of those kids never said that they didn't want to be rescued from whatever pit of hell or non-existence they were in." Carlos insisted

"Because they were movies. Real life is never portrayed like it really is, in movies. Movies never show the story of what happens when it's too late to save someone, and if they do, there is no back story to let you know how the person felt like there was no way out. We cant judge what is going on in her head or her heart. All we can do is try our best and hope we arent too late." Logan assured, patting Carlos once on the shoulder.

By 9am they were all up and ready to go, they skipped breakfast to nervous to eat and made a quick stop to her house first to find it empty, and her car was gone. They drove by the school discreetly and saw no movement whatsoever on the outer grounds. They didn't want to draw attention to themselves or what they were doing so they continued on.

Kendall was driving and the others were on their phones, looking through her face book page, which was easy to find, not too many people with the name Katie Pryszwiec. Her face book was empty of friend messages and had just lonely posts from apps and statuses that went unliked. Compared to her other friends, her activity was nearly non-existent. Her status and overall attitude on her page was pretty positive with the occasional bad day, she was putting up a real good front to her peers and were amazed that she hadn't broken down yet.

James finally found a check in at her college from several weeks back and thought it would be a good place to check but it was a good distance away so they continued to check for anything around town. Her employment status was listed, but like her relationship status, it could be fake. Clicking through it appeared to be an unknown place with only a dozen likes and there were no results on google maps for a place that name. She did mention being a dog trainer but she was pretty quiet about it for whatever reason. Even on her face book there wasn't much info on the place itself although she had many stories of he adventures.

"What a minute, check this out." Logan began. Logan was actually getting into the search to aid his friends but he also began to take a liking to Katie as a friend, just as the others had already. "She mentions a place called 'ACS' and its about working with dogs, maybe the names changed or there was a mix up?"

"On it." Carlos replied as he switched to google. "Here it is: ACS is an acronym for the 'Academy of Canine Science'. Located on 428 Sundown Drive."

Kendall put the address in his gps and as soon as he got the first instruction they took off.

***AN* The ending is near, I have some of it straightened out I just dont know how I want to present it just yet. Do i want to present a sequel, have an epilogue or combine the whole thing into one? I'll figure it out as I go along. I dont know exactly how many chapters are left, it all depends on my writing and how far my mind wanders or how much I get carried away with a scene.**


	15. Chapter 15

It took them several minutes to get there, getting lost a few times on the way due to poor signal service. They were on a lonely back road in the deep country/wilderness section of the town. Eventually the gps and their cells stopped working all together, even when getting out of the car and to higher ground, nothing helped. Defeated, they got back in the car and just kept driving forward, waiting for a signal to guide them back out.

They finally reached civilization after a few minutes and Kendall's GPS rebooted only to tell them that they had passed ACS. They were all confused and checked google maps, map quest and any other direction service they could think of and got the same response. Street view pointed to nothing but bramble on the road they just came from. ACS had to be real in order to get into these services but somehow, it just didn't seem like it was real. It seemed as though they were getting the run around.

The unanimous decision was to try again and Kendall turned around and started back the way they came, slowly to watch both sides of the road for any indication. Halfway down the road, Logan saw a wall sticking out from some overgrown bushes. As they approached they saw movement; a man was butting the bushes back. Desperate for answers, Kendall pulled into the entry way, guarded by a large gate. He greeted the man who tipped his hat.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked

"We're lost, can you tell us the way to a place called Academy of canine Science?" Kendall asked

"You're sitting on it." He said with a chuckle as he pulled back some bramble to reveal a large, bright sign "I was sent out to trim these bushes that are blocking the sign. The Academy itself, sits back about a half mile down this road here. Put your codes into the key pad and it'll open up for you."

"Codes?" Kendall repeated confused.

"You should have received a packet with all your information-"

"We aren't students, we're hear to see someone, a friend of ours." James said out the back window.

"Ah, I see. Let me let you in then. Next time, just use the call box and security will let you in." he said. He typed in his number and motioned them off. Kendall drove forward carefully and waved to the groundskeeper as he thanked him, the others repeating the same gratitude.

The driveway was long and well beaten, it was all dirt and some rocks, making it rough terrain for the sports car Kendall had rented earlier. They were surrounded by thick woods but like the groundskeeper said, the trees broke and revealed a very large open space and several buildings and fenced yards lined an inner circle, closed off by another gate. As instructed, Kendall used the call box and an older man talked to him briefly before he heard a buzz and the gate before them opened.

They were just inside the gate when a makeshift traffic light made them stop and a bar lowered in front of them. An electric gate opened up with a moan and a soft buzz and 3 large dogs crossed the path in front of them. The dogs watched the car as they passed, the guys looking back at the dogs, and the dogs gave the new sight a sniff before continuing on. A tall skinny guy with medium length black hair, brought up the rear slowly, calling out sounds and commands.

Once the group passed, the bar rose and the light changed to green and they continued on down the path that had now turned to asphalt. Kendall followed the signs and eventually found the administration building and found a parking spot half way down the parking lot. Everyone got out and marveled at the sight of the campus, it was huge! It was nearly as big as a public college. 4 class room buildings, an administration building, a student lounge, an Office center for the teachers, a kennel, grooming parlor, day care and vet's office were just some of what they could see from where they stood. Still amazed, they cautiously and curiously found their way to the front door of the admin building and were greeted by a chunky brunette who was all smiles.

"Good Morning! Welcome to the Academy of Canine Science, how may I assist you gentlemen today?" she greeted. The guys were a little too stunned to answer, still in shock from the size and professionalism of the place. "Sirs? Are you alright?"  
Carlos managed to snap back to reality first.

"I'm not sure if we have the right place, we were trying to find a friend of ours. She works with dogs, but the name she had on her profile was different and we didn't get any hits for that."

"Well, we were under an old name, School of Dog Behavior and Training, however, now that we are under new management, we got a revamped look. Who are you looking for?"

"Katie Pryszwiec" Kendall said.

"Yes, she works here. I'm not sure if she is here today though, so give me one moment while I check." she replied. She picked up her phone and dialed some numbers. She listened to the phone for a few seconds before hanging up. "She isn't answering right now, she is busy at the moment. I don't know if she is in a meeting or teaching a class, I don't have her schedule in front of me this week. She was busy elsewhere and said she would pop in only when she could. Would you like to take a look around while you wait?" she asked.  
The guys were silent as they looked at each other before agreeing to take a look around and see the rest of the place in all it's glory. They were about to leave when the phone rang on the secretaries desk. She answered it and was pretty vague on her end but they listened in when their presence came up.

"Yes, you have some visitors here that would like to see you." she began "4 gentlemen, they look kind of familiar so maybe prospective students? I'm not sure, you didn't have a schedule this week for yourself." she continued. The guys stared at her waiting for more. "Ok, I'll let them know." she said before hanging up the phone. "You're in luck, she is here! She's down at the kennel in exam room 4. Do you know where to go?"

"No, we've never been here." Logan said.

"Ok. Just go back out the front doors, take a left and follow the sidewalk down until you it, it will say 'Kennel' on the front. There will also be a maze of fences from the runs. Once inside the kennel just go straight to the back of the building and exam room 4 is all the way to the right." she instructed. They thanked her and began their journey which was just as easy as she said it was.

"Hello?" James called out in the empty corridor.

"Katie, are you in here?" Carlos followed up.

"James? Carlos? Is that you?" Katie called back.

"Where are you?" Kendall called out.

"I'm in here." She began before walking out of a room. "Over here. What are you guys doing here and how on earth did you find me?"

"We did our own research although this place was pretty difficult to find, the sign out front was blocked by some bushes." Logan said slyly

"Luckily a groundskeeper was outside." Kendall said

"Oh yeah, I noticed the bushes when I came in and told Jason to cut them down today. I must say you are quite the detectives to track me down so fast. Glad you guys are here, I'm really sorry about the past few days, I never meant to cause any trouble with you guys. It's just that there is a lot you don't know about me or my past and its not something I want to share with the world. No one cares and I've learned to live with it. I have just enough going on in my life to live on and music helps as does laughing, like your show for instance." She said.

"But that's why were here." Kendall said cutting her off. "We want you to have more of a life than this. You don't deserve to be treated the way you are. All you have ever done is be helpful to others and never see any gratitude for it."

"We're no exception, we couldn't thank you enough for all that you did for us 2 days ago, and there is no apology big enough to fix the damage we instilled. Don't think we are doing this just for that reason." Carlos added.

"We really like you, you have a cool personality and your talented. You need to get up and belt out your own songs on stage, prove to the world and us that you cant be held down anymore!" James said

"Look, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, you need to be your own person, do your own thing and live life to the fullest. You cant do that here." Logan said.

"Would you be willing to come with us?" Carlos began. Katie looked at him confused. "Come with us to LA, where you can live the dream, you can work along side us on our show, get a contract under our record producer and be the star that you deserve to be."

"Opportunities like this come once in a life time and when they do you got to grab it." Kendall said

"So what do you say?" Carlos asked

"You guys are offering me the chance of a lifetime to change my life around and to get me out of this place but if I leave, and things don't work out, I can never come back. Its not a risk that I can take. I have nowhere to go and no one to turn to." Katie replied

"What makes you think you would fail?" James inquired

"Look at me!" Do I look like some new age pop star? I cant make an image the way I am now and I don't want to become something I am not. I don't want to dress in pink or create out of this world, one of a kind outfits and be out there like Lady Gaga. Music today is no where near the kind that people need to hear. Songs about life are what helps me get through the day, hearing another love song or breakup song, just reminds me that no one will ever love me or even think about me. Why would I want to sing something like that, how I give my heart to someone, when I have no heart to give?" she explained

"You don't have to write love songs. You can write about life, no one is going to make you do something you don't want to." Carlos assured

"Yes they will, I may not know everything about Hollywood but I do know that a lot of it is faked in order to get the highest ratings. The minute you stop raking in the money you used to, they drop you like a rotten egg. It may be fun and all for a little while but I cant take the hurt and the failure anymore, I don't want to be bullied and insulted on a global level. My knowledge and confidence is in the animal world and no where else. My talents don't matter." she insisted

"Yes they do!" Kendall said

"You act like you don't want this! What person turns down something like this?" Logan said a little snidely

"A person who has a sense to know she doesn't have a chance in the average world let alone the celebrity world. We're on 2 different levels and while I'm grateful for your friendship and your generous offer, I cant accept." She defended

"But why?" Carlos fished

"Like I said, I cant risk, losing everything I have, what little is left. Who am I to turn to when things go south? I cant expect to depend on whatever friends I may make, if I make any." She said.

"You can depend on us." Kendall assured

"If you were famous, you'd be making money. An item that your father wants you to start making anyway." James added

"Every purchase I make is a waste of money according to him. I bought myself a bottle of vitamins and he yelled at me saying I didn't need them. He tells me to go to all my doctors appointments and when I get instructions on what to do he tells me I don't need that or whatever. I make money my parents will take my checks and spend it on their little wishes. it's the way it works in my house. The children support the parents, that's why I was told to get a job when I was 10. I'm better off not making any money." She finished.

"This is too much for one person. You said yourself that you are an only child and it's just not right to be brought up as someone's slave or stress ball. You need to know what life is like beyond this town. You need to be in a place that's fair, with people who will actually care about you and not walk all over you. You need to live the lavish lifestyle for once and know what it's like to be the one being waited on." Kendall said sternly. "I'm not taking no for an answer, you are going to come with us and you will be a star and even if you arent, I'm not going to let you fall back into this life. I'm going to make sure you get the happily ever after that you deserve!****


	16. Chapter 16

***AN* This is a bit of a filler chapter the first few paragraphs and the last paragraph are relevant to the story but the rest is just filler, and of course it's fiction, I may teach dog training but I dont own anything and the place is no where near as big as I describe it. But at least it explains why this place is in the rest of my stories. The campus has its place in the back story as well as other stories but its not so big that it causes a tough decision. The point of this story is being to scared to leave the only life you know, even if that life is utter hell and abuse.***

Katie was speechless at the words that just came out of Kendall's mouth as were his friends, however Kendall seemed to mean what he said with a stern but gentle look on his face.

"I swear I mean it. You wont be alone, I wont let you down. I fell in love with your personality and your talents and even if this world doesn't see it, I do and always will." he said softly. He pulled her into a hug and continued to whisper into her ear. "I know your scared and lost but please let me help you. I'll do whatever I can to help you leave and create a new life. Just please trust in me."

Katie couldn't help but cry, she needed help but she just couldn't ask for it or take it. She didn't know how to trust or open up to someone. It would be a while before she would learn to do so though. After a few minutes she was calm enough to continue their discussion, group hugs abound. She had much work to do yet before anything could happen and the guys were more than willing to help. Her first task was to finish going over the dogs from head to toe for the weekly once over.

"How many dogs are there?" James asked

"37" she replied not taking her eyes off of Buddy, a large Briard who needed extra attention due to his long fur. "I do this every week, a full body once over checking for cuts, bruising, rashes, lumps, tenderness, hair loss, wax buildup, paw checks, everything. They get a quick glance every day before performing whatever task they need to do. I know these dogs like the back of my hand so I'd notice any change in behavior, gait or what have you."

"Why just you? Wouldn't it be quicker if others helped out?" Carlos pointed out

"It would, but I've trained these guys since they were puppies and although there are other staff members that know them just as well, I always give a check when I can. I trust myself to do this really good although a second and third set of eyes is always welcome. I don't always do this myself, just because it is so time consuming. If anyone sees a problem, they report it too me and there are medical records and notes for all the dogs available to everyone in case any questions arise." she stated

"What else do you do?" Logan asked

"Well, I have to make sure everything runs smoothly, from building maintenance to classes and everything in between." Katie replied

"That's a lot of work. Why does it all rest on your shoulders?" James asked

"I own and run ACS." She said simply, straightening out to the stunned faces of the guys. "Yes, its true, I am a successful business owner. I didn't want to say anything and make it sound special, because it isn't. I only recently inherited this business from the head master I worked under for 10 years. He wanted to retire and had no one to leave this place too. I had so many fond memories and he taught me so much that I didn't want to see this place out of business so he signed over the papers free of charge." she said.

"So then you do make money?" Kendall said disheartened

"No. Because I didn't pay anything for the rights, I don't get paid, or right now at least. When the head master no longer needs money whether he passes away or becomes of faint mind or administered to a nursing home, the full rights become mine. But that will be several years from now. And I'm happy just running this now. Besides, doing it this way, I have no financial risk or worry and neither does he. He already made his investment back several times over and I put nothing into this." She explained.

"So you're basically learning how to run a business in addition to animal work."

"Yep. I'm doing pretty good I think. I've expanded the campus four times so far and the school only keeps getting more popular." she said proudly.

"You really are a talented person." Carlos said with a smile.

"Is this why you were hesitant? Because of all this?" James gestured.

"Not at all. I can come and go as I please, in fact when I go to college, this place is left to people I can trust for several months and remains intact. Everyone I hire enjoys their work and enjoys working for me. I am a fair boss, friendly but I lay down the rules so there are no mistakes. What holds me back is what I told you, my home life. As much of a hell this is, and regardless of your promises to care for me, I'd still miss coming home to the familiar faces that raised me…" she said solemnly.

"Then we'll make sure your parents, especially your father, approve so you can go freely. I really do believe you will make it as a star and you have to believe in it yourself." Carlos said.

"I know these dogs need you and you've given your life to them but the partnership you share with them is deep enough that they want to see you happy too." James tried to explain

"But first we'll help you out anyway we can here." Kendall said.

"Ok. Buddy, here is the last dog on my agenda today. Take him back to his kennel; number 29." She instructed.

James grabbed the leash from Katie and took the dog back to his run, making sure the gate was locked before he left. Katie had to teach a class next and the guys followed. She didn't allow them in the arena with her but they were welcome to watch in the viewing room. She let them in and they got comfortable, grabbing some snacks before sitting down in front of a large plexi-glass window. 3 people and dogs were already waiting inside, just chilling out waiting for Katie to arrive. Katie left the room but didn't show in the arena like they thought.

Eventually she did come out; she was dressed differently, in shorts and a tee with a training apron and a few long instruments. 2 other pairs showed up by this time and they began to assist setting up the arena with Agility equipment, leaving their dogs tied to a solid rail at the end of the arena, all except one who was just chilling out since they had arrived.

By 2pm all 10 pairs had arrived and the course was set up, it was a simple set up and looked like it was a beginner's course. Katie instructed the pairs to line up and begin outlining the course and following the steps they had learned in class. After a few rounds she told them to guide their dogs over the jumps first then once they got used to that, moved to the ramps. Most of the dogs had no problem with this and even the teeter totter was no problem. They spent a half hour doing these simple drills before putting some speed into it where several mistakes were made.

Katie had her work cut out for her as she yelled out orders and guides to correct both human and dog as well as running around with them. After another hour class was over and she dismissed them, to get ready for her next class, for which students were already lined up outside and one pair had come into the viewing room where the guys had fun playing with a Collie named Sport. The next group was bigger with about 15 pairs. They helped move the agility course around to a more wide spread angle.

Katie's actions were much different in this, she just stood in the center, and watched the group begin their exercises before they began an almost synchronized routine. The dogs and people moved with speed and grace and with perfect timing as they crossed each others paths flawlessly through the course. Katie had no need to call out orders or anything and just watched from distance. The first round was near perfect, 2 dogs knocked over 3 bars and another missed a contact zone. They reset the bars and began again, this time with no faults.

A quick break was held as she explained the next assignment. The course was moved around and numbered by other staff members so it would be a surprise to all of them. Katie would judge and the pairs would fly through it continuously until a fault or 5 laps were made. She let the group in and they walked the course to get a feel for it, they only hade 1 minute and when Katie blew the whistle the first team had to start. The group started their routine again, 15 dogs and 15 people eventually were flying through the course at once. It went this way for several minutes before the first 2 pairs were disqualified by faults.

This group was so much more advanced and the guys were amazed at the difference. Katie knew what she was doing alright. An earth shattering yelp brought the arena to a halt at Katie's command. The students called off their dogs in an instant and remained in their positions. The guys didn't see, only heard the commotion. Katie ran to the tire where a dog was laying at an awkward angle.

"Clear the floor!" she called out and students retreated with their canines to the side. She broke apart an obstacle and the dog fell gently to the floor. It was a break away obstacle but it had malfunctioned and the dog had gotten caught by the leg. As soon as the animal was free, he rolled himself up to his feet and wagged his tail before cuddling his owner. The dog seemed as though he wanted to and could continue but Katie forced them out. She called for a break as she checked in with the on site vet.

She came back in a few minutes and called the class short, wishing everyone well and rewarding them with positive remarks. With the extra time she planned on having a break herself but a few students asked for extra time and she accepted. The class was a moderate class working on off leash commands. The dogs were mostly responsive however they did get distracted. Katie's job was to break the distraction to avoid dog fights or other injuries to human or animal. The students had enough after 20 minutes and just wanted an evaluation. Katie gave them a homework exercise and they left. She called it quits and went back to the viewing room where the guys greeted her in amazement and praise.

"How do you do it?" Logan asked

"That's amazing!" James gushed

"You really do know what you're doing, you work so fast and know so much." Carlos complimented

Kendall was speechless and just held his hands up to prove it. She had one more class to teach and then could call it quits for the day, but it was an easy one, it was a lecture so it'd be quick and painless for everyone. This time the guys were allowed in and they sat in the back ready although class wouldn't be for another 45 minutes so they chatted a little bit.

"Hey, I forgot to mention. My dad doesn't know I do any of this or that I co-own a place like this. So if your going to try to talk him in to letting me go to Hollywood, don't mention any of this to either of my parents. They would want me to stay with this and although I love it here, I think I am ready to give the celebrity life a try." she said.


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you sure?" Carlos asked.

"Well, I am still scared I'll be disowned if I leave. I mean I'm always threatened with their lives and such if I try to go out of their bounds and rules but, like you said, this chance comes once in a lifetime. I'd be crazy to give that up. Its going to take months if not years of work to even make a name for myself but I'll give it my all and hope for the best. This place as fun as it is, I put in so much time so far and it runs easy without me, I'm not making or losing anything so it doesn't matter. And I'm not quitting. Eventually I'll come back to this full time. The celebrity lifestyle can only last so long right?" she said.

The guys were silent but it was an acknowledging silence. Her words struck home; how much longer was their dream going to last? Boy bands might be making a comeback but they died out once, naturally it would die out again. Who knows how long they would last, it could be years or even months, music and pop culture was always changing. Either way they would live by their words and enjoy the opportunity in front of them.

"Then it's settled. You're coming with us back to LA to live the dream. Let's go tell your dad." James said enthusiastically.

"First things first, I got to teach class and then I have to finish up work here. Class is an hour then I have another hour of work to do before going home. And, I can't leave tomorrow, it'll be a week before I can go, IF I can go that is…" She said, reminding them of the power they were up against.

She finished setting up her lecture but had to run back to her office for the class's new homework, handouts and graded work. She told the guys to sit put and they wandered around the room and snooped through what she had brought with her already. She came back in a few minutes with a handful of papers, Shadow in tow. Shadow greeted the guys, happily, no recollection of his earlier encounter with Kendall and Carlos.

The guys greeted him back and played with him as students walked in, who were confused by their presence. The students in the whole school ranged in ages from 17 to well over 50. There was a chance that the guys could be recognized but it was small, a few younger students and a few parents gave them a double look as they pondered where they might have seen them before but moved on and got ready for class, seeing Katie just about ready to start.

The last 3 students, waltzed in shortly after class began. Katie wasn't a stickler for tardiness, she herself often found herself running behind but her rule was that if you came in late, to be quiet about it and just sit down. And if you were more than 20 minutes late, you'd better have an excuse. The guys took the back row and remained quiet, occasionally giving Shadow attention as he nudged them for more. The were half listening to her, she was passing out papers and all that stuff and hadn't started the lecture yet, which they were curious on hearing.

Katie finished handing out the last of the handouts and introduced the lecture: Service Dogs in the Real World. Training a service dog was a different lecture but she talked about how to identify them, and laws for businesses, schools and other citizens. It was pretty informative and the guys learned all kinds of things, including wondering why they never came across a service dog in their meet and greets. They hoped security wasn't turning these people away or segregating them, which Katie identified as unlawful. Although she was from CT, she kept the lectures main stream by teaching federal laws, which rule over local laws. Although she did put in some CT guidelines.

Shadow was right up front as Katie demonstrated some gear and anatomy points before wrapping up the lecture and loading a video. It was actually a clip from an old Network show, Network News; it followed the story of 3 kids with service dogs and how the dogs help them in their daily lives as well as kids who were training and fostering dogs for school credit. The video finished and Katie collected the note sheets for grading and handed out an assignment for next class.

Once everyone was dismissed, Shadow wandered around the class room as Katie gathered her things, talking with 2 students who stayed after to ask questions. Katie answered them with ease and worked with them to fix the problem they were having. It was going to take some thought and more time so she would look into it later. Content, the students left, saying goodbye to Shadow, and looking at the guys, trying to wrap their heads around why they looked so familiar.

Katie had her hands full as she began to walk out of the room but denied the guys question for assistance. Shadow followed Katie as did the guys, to her office where she plopped all her belongings on the couch before quickly shuffling through everything to put them away. She finished in about a minute, the guys stayed quiet as she moved around the room, putting everything in its place. Her office was huge, it had a large closet, her own bathroom complete with shower, 2 couches and 4 chairs; like a sitting room or a hang out place. A large TV was mounted on one wall, gaming systems on the shelf below, told that it was indeed a hangout. She grabbed her backpack, computer, a file box and clipped a leash on Shadow before herding everyone out, shutting off the light and locking the door.

The guys were parked out in the front, one of very few cars, showing the signs of another day winding down. Katie headed in the opposite direction, to where her car was parked. Kendall and Carlos followed Katie, giving the keys to James and Logan who hopped into the car. They watched the trio go out of sight before Logan started the car and followed them down a driveway towards a enclosed parking garage. Katie swiped a card to open the electronic gate and walked down, about halfway to an individual garage. She swiped again and entered a code and the door opened, revealing her green truck.

She loaded Shadow in and Kendall and Carlos soon followed before Katie told them only 1 could ride with her. Shadow did not like to share the backseat so it was for their own safety. Carlos got in the front and there was still room left for Kendall if the console was put up and the guys held her stuff. She agreed and they piled in. The roar of her engine caught them off guard as they settled in and Katie pulled out as soon as her hands were free.  
Logan followed her out of the campus with no problems. He thought he might get stuck but the gates were operated by weight sensors going out. It took some time with all the traffic and finishing road work but eventually she made it home. Logan was ready to park out front but their bus was back, taking up the entire lot so he parked next to Katie's backyard as Katie backed in to her driveway, leaving space for her father, who wasn't home just yet but would be in the next 10 minutes.

They all got out and the guys stood in the driveway as Katie put away some equipment and took out Shadow. Just as Katie was shutting her door, a familiar car began to slow down and Katie recognized the hum of the engine as her dad. He slowed down, nearly stopping as he saw the unfamiliar car parked on his property and as he strolled down the hill, it was clear he wasn't too thrilled with the company. They moved out of the way so he could pull in and waited for him to get out. He took his time, gathering his own things before looking up, displeased.

"What are you doing here? Havent you caused enough disruption in my life?" he yelled out

"This time is different." Kendall offered

"I doubt that. What ideas are you trying to put into her head this time?" he fished. Silence came back to him and he scoffed at them. James nudged Katie who was scared to speak.

"Daddy, I-" she started

"No, don't start. I don't want to hear it." he interrupted

"Wait a minute, you don't even know what she has to say!" Kendall said

"I said I don't want to hear it." he fought

"That's not fair to her. Why must you be so, so arrogant? You've been nothing but mean to her, taking out all your anger on her. She's a human being, your daughter, not your slave to pull carts and wait on you hand and foot!" James said

"I don't need you telling me what I can and cant do! How dare you accuse me of being less than a father! I love my daughter very much and want to see her happy!" her dad yelled back

"Then why wont you let her speak?" Logan said.

"Because!" he began. "I'm afraid she'll leave me" he continued, quieting down. "I know she has talent, and I know you all have connections to fame and fortune. I want to see my daughter happy and being with you could be the best thing in her life, but I want her to stay here where it is safe, where I know that I can keep tabs on her. I don't want her to leave. I cant go with you, no way I'd find a job out there and I am content here, no reason she cant be."

"That's what you say but it isn't what you mean." Katie said.

"What?" her dad said shocked.

"I never feel the love, in fact all I ever feel is fear. You have me under so much control and every time I try to stand up for myself you just toss me back down on the ground. You have me so afraid and attached to this life that I know nothing else and fear anything outside it. You control me with your anger, knowing I will back down in order to save the heart ache of fighting and your health. While this still stands true right now, this time, I wont back down. I want this and so should you. If you really want me to be happy you would let me do this. You want me to make money and that's what I will try to do. And even if I fail, I'd probably be less stressed, living on the streets than where I am right now, constantly under scrutiny, fear, and pain." she said

Her father stood dumbfounded at his daughters sudden courage but instead of fighting back he turned his back on her and walked away into the house. Her mother came out shortly and dug into her with her own words for upsetting her father, oblivious to the guys standing there. They watched as she spat words of hate and saw just how much Katie was abused and decided to stand by their decision to help her. She needed this more than any one else. If they had waited any longer, with the way things were going, there could have been a chance that they would have been too late to save her.


	18. Chapter 18

_***AN* I did it again, let my mind wander a little bit. I didnt think this story was going to get so long but it did, there really shouldnt be too much more. Just remember that all the abuse/neglect in this story is purely fictional. And while I do have to do some laborious work from time to time, it is nothing compared to what I wrote in here. my life is quite cushy and I am lazy. Enjoy!"** _

The crew vans had been fixed after only 3 days. The guys stayed an additional 2 before they were urged back to California. They said their goodbyes to Katie and promised to see her soon; they would spend much of their time trying to convince Gustavo to sign their new friend, a rocker, to his pop label. They felt guilty that she couldn't come with them and they worried what her fate might be by leaving her behind. She was tough and hoped she could fend for herself, but she had already gone through so much, how much more she could take was left in the air.

Katie didn't think her life could get much worse but it did, she suffered through verbal abuse for a week as she was called ungrateful and selfish by her own parents. They said they loved her and gave her everything and now she was walking out on them with out reason. This right here was her reason; all the crap they gave her, the yelling the screaming, the blame, the abuse. It was too much to bear. If she didn't get out to ACS every now and then she wouldn't have made it this far.

Luckily for her, her parents knew nothing of a computer and couldn't see the history on it such as suicide sites, depression help and other forums she had frequented. It had been a week since the guys left and so far she heard nothing from them, not even a hello. She began to feel down, thinking they had forgotten about her or it was just all a ruse to get her hopes up and that they really didn't care about her at all. Just another face in the crowd, one that didn't matter if she was there or not. She didn't bother to contact them at all, just let them do their own thing.

Meanwhile in Cali, the guys were busy trying to convince Gustavo to sign her or at least fine someone who would. Gustavo stood firm on only signing pop artists and outright refused and ignored their pleas.

"Rock is dying out in today's music world. Your friend may be talented but her audience is too small to try to introduce a new rock artist." Kelly said in her reassuring way. "It's too big a financial risk to bring her out, record a demo and host all her fees to live on her own."

"She can live with me and my mom, my mom and I have money, we are more than able to pay for her living expenses!" Kendall insisted.

"Gustavo you own the studio, how much money can it possibly cost to record a few songs and donate your time to write a few hits?" James asked

"A lot. I am not going to waste my time on writing rock songs for your little girlfriend. I am a pop genius!" Gustavo said. "Now, GET OUT OF MY STUDIO!"

The guys ran out at his words, scrambling to move out of each others way. They stopped just outside the building's doors and were upset at the news but hadn't lost hope yet. Thanks to Logan's thinking, they had a back up plan; they would show her you tube videos to several producers and record labels and hope someone would be willing to sign her.

Big Time Rush was at their peak of popularity and getting more famous by the day. They were well known all around town and had no trouble getting to the CEO's of all the places they went to. Everyone was happy to see them, thinking the guys wanted to switch labels but quickly shooed them away when they began their speech. No one wanted to sign a rocker chick. Maybe Gustavo was right, rock music did die out a little bit, and their efforts were just fruitless.

They walked the streets of Hollywood, downtrodden at their luck, not a word was spoken among them. They had pretty much given up hope and even though there was one last place they could try, they felt like they shouldn't even bother. They found themselves in the lobby of the place during their own mind talks and were surprised and dumbfounded at how they got there. It was too late for them to turn around and walk back out even though they didn't even want to be there.

"Hello gentlemen, how may I help you today?" greeted the secretary.

"Oh, uh, nothing." James said softly.

"Are you sure? It's not everyday Big Time Rush stops into your office. Are you looking to switch labels? You guys are pretty popular but your sound isn't what we are looking for. We prefer rock, and alternative music here." she said with a smile. Their faces lit up at her words.

"It's not for us, we made a discovery and were trying to find a record label to take a friend of ours. Would you pass this demo along to your CEO? Please?" Kendall said.

The secretary was hesitant, but she took the disc anyway, making no promises. The guys took it well, at least it was a start. They thanked her and walked out, feeling better about everything. Now all they had to do was contact Katie to tell her the good news but Logan decided against it.

"You don't want to get her hopes up any more than they are now. It was a mistake telling her to pack her bags and tell her parents with the situation she was in, in the first place. If we tell her a record label was looking over her stuff and they decided not to sign her, she's going to be broken far beyond repair." he said.

Knowing he was right, they let it go and just waited it out, hoping for the best.

Katie was trying her best to stay above the ever rising abuse. She did her homework, doubled up on chores and errands, leaving little time for herself and ACS, which her parents knew nothing about anyway. Katie had a few bags packed, one with clothes, one with other things, ready to go at a moments notice. She would just have to grab her keys, phone and laptop before going out the door. Her room was a mess so it was easy to hide things, she had no time to clean her room but that didn't stop her parents from yelling at her to clean it anyway. They would send her out on errands, and call yelling at her to clean her room as soon as she got home, and when she got home to clean, they would put her on chore duty, only to yell at her again that she wasn't doing them fast enough and her room was a mess.

They would stay up late, yelling at her constantly to do work, and yelling again when she made noise. Only getting sleep, when they finally went to sleep themselves. They would wake her up sharply the next morning, sending her into a tizzy, spending the rest of the day in pain, she did as she was told and never fought back. Eventually they told her she would not be allowed to leave, even if she was accepted. They had enough of her defiance and refused to acknowledge her as a person.

Katie was devastated inside but on the outside pretending it was all fine. She never called Carlos to tell him and he never contacted her. She assumed they had forgotten or never cared in the first place as it went on to 3 weeks since they met. She was at peace with the decision and although at first she was hurt, learned to live with it, she was used to disappointment in her life anyway. Her phone and computer had been in disuse for a while now actually and were even taken away at one point, and of course when she was sent on errands she was unreachable, so when she came back, more yelling and abuse. There just was no winning in this house and she gave up trying.

Weeks went by slowly at first then sped up although they were anxious to find out an answer if Katie would be signed. They tried to contact Katie for weeks now and she never responded. They hoped she was alright but as the weeks passed, they began to lose hope in both her safety at home and her would be future as they were left in limbo. They wanted to go back to CT, to make sure she was ok but no one would let them and eventually, she fell out of their minds, as they moved on, saddened that they had failed her when she needed help the most.

Another season of the show came and went and the guys were back on tour. 30 cities in 31 days. After their kick off show in San Francisco, they hit the road, focused on the show and tour ahead as interviews and photo shoots lined up. It wasn't until their big show in NYC that Katie came into their minds once more, realizing the next city was in CT.

Despite the schedule, the pleaded with the driver to drive them to her business. Reluctantly the driver agreed and the guys guided him to it. It was early yet, and not much signs of life on the campus. The bus was too big for the entrance so the guys got out and climbed the gate to get inside, without a second thought. All the buildings were still shut down for the night and only 1 person was there, a new secretary who didn't recognize them at all. She was spooked by their presence and was reluctant to open the door and assist them, thinking they were burglars or something else.

Logan pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and asked Carlos for a pen. He began writing on the paper and then flipped it over to the glass. "We're looking for Katie Pryszweic." it read. The girl lit up and then hurried to open the door, apologizing to them for not helping them sooner.

"I havent seen her in weeks. Last I saw her was for my interview in May." she said. It was now September, so it was strange that she would be gone for so long, naturally it worried them. Soon enough, another staff member arrived and was quickly bombarded with questions to which he brushed off and ignored the guys and the secretary. "I'm sorry about Mr. Weiser. He is quite the grump, he doesn't like kids or teaching but he is quite qualified. He hates that he has to work for Katie but he manages to be a saint around her so no one has been able to prove just how miserable he is to work with. But here comes Sarah, she'll know what's up." the secretary continued, pointing to the door.

"Good morning, Gwen. Do we have guests, this early in the morning?" Sarah greeted.

"They are here to see Katie but I havent seen her."

"Oh, no she isn't here. She hasn't been here in a while actually, she's on one of her long leaves, most likely for school elsewhere, although she's been gone half the summer." Sarah explained. The guys' new found hope, quickly shattered. They thanked the ladies for their time and walked back out to their waiting bus and instructed the driver onward to Katie's house to check up on things.

They arrived just in time to see her father leaving for work. They all stood behind the driver and urged him to keep going, eventually heading around the block once but her dad was still there. He was watching the bus go by, noticing it before, not that it was easy to miss. The guys ducked down, hitting the floor with a thud in order to not be seen as they gave instructions to their driver to go somewhere to wait it all out. The driver brought them back on the main road and was about to pull into McDonald's but the bus would be seen so he went up an industrial street to hid out in an abandoned parking lot.  
Hearts beating a mile a minute and nervous as all hell they sat up and tried to catch their breaths as they thought through what they would do. The bus was too big to hide easily so they decided walking would be best but they would have to stay low in case her dad swung by to check up on things, no doubt he was on guard after seeing the bus. Taking the main road to her street, they stayed under the radar as mush as possible, being called out on their fame would do them no good with the mission they were trying to accomplish.

Although it was early, it was late enough that many of the houses in the area had cars in the driveway so neighbors could be up. They had to be careful when cutting through yards and hiding behind bushes that the neighbors didn't call the cops on them. They split up into 2 pairs and approached the house on 2 angles. James and Carlos didn't need to get onto the property before they saw movement in the front yard. A scrawny person in a cap stood in the yard, working away like no one's business. The piles of debris made it clear this person had been at it for quite some time now.

By the looks of things, the debris was being cleared away and the person was finished with that portion before moving to a bin and doing a little mixing and lifting a trowel out, where grayish/white matter splattered down heavily. It looked like cement and after a few seconds, it was gathered that it was indeed cement or some type of mortar as the person struggled lifting large pieces of stone and placing them on a new walkway.

"I didn't think they had money to do any repairs, let alone a professional." Carlos pointed out

"By the looks of it, this person is probably cheap. He's the only one and he's a small guy." James added

"Must be desperate for the job." Carlos concurred.

Kendall and Logan were heading to the back yard and James and Carlos made a break for them. The 4 reunited and snuck up to the front yard to see all the fuss.

"That's no dude, it's Katie!" Kendall said, nearly yelling.

It didn't look like her at all but it was her, she had lost a lot of weight and looked malnourished to say the least. It was only just after 8am and the amount of debris in the yard meant that she had to have been at it since about 6am. She moved quickly, knowing exactly what to do, but also in a state of urgency, most likely to get it right the first time or just trying to hurry it along to the next task.

Each time she turned, they could clearly see her neglected form, her eyes were sunken and bagged, she had cuts, scrapes and bruises all over her. She was caked in dirt, mud, cement, leaves and anything else the front yard contained. She was a sad sight and it broke the guys' heart to see her this way. Kendall took out his phone and began snapping pictures in hopes they would come in handy.

She was too busy to interrupt from their current position so they backed up and went down the sidewalk in hopes of catching her attention that way. She did look up and the commotion but she recoiled in fear and caution rather than welcome, it was as though she didn't recognize them right away. They called out to her and she did a double take and a smile flew across her face as she ran towards them. Kendall caught her tackle first, lifting her up off the ground with ease. He was surprised at how little she weighed.

It was definitely a big difference since they saw her last but it may not have been for the better, looking at her now. Her image was one of the reasons so many record labels turned her down, although it was something they could work on, no one wanted to bother and put time and effort into it. They bet now, they would be lining up to sign her, after she was cleaned up a little though of course.


	19. Chapter 19

_***AN* I did it again, let my mind wander a little bit. I didnt think this story was going to get so long but it did, there really shouldnt be too much more. Just remember that all the abuse/neglect in this story is purely fictional. And while I do have to do some laborious work from time to time, it is nothing compared to what I wrote in here. my life is quite cushy and I am lazy. Enjoy!"** _

"I thought you forgot about me…" she sighed with relief that they didnt

"Never. We were trying hard to find you a label but no one wanted to give you a chance." Carlos said

"We were afraid to let you down and when we finally got the courage to tell you, you were no where to be found." Kendall added

"I've been put to work and just suffering all kinds of abuse since you guys left, nothing has been easy like it was. I'm just some slave now, not someone child. I wake up at 6 go to bed at midnight. Breakfast should be ready and I get a list of chores for the day. No time to eat, sleep or do anything fun. I am not allowed to use a computer anymore, even for school. My grades are slipping because I cant use a computer so I get yelled at that too. I cant win and its just getting to a point where I don't want to wake up anymore." she sighed.

She was skin and bones in Kendall's arms and he could feel each breath she took as her fragile frame rattled along. She needed food, fast, she was clearly weak, over worked and tired. This was the final straw and regardless of whether or not she had a label, she was coming with them.

The excitement of seeing them again, took a lot out of her and she became dead weight as she tried to hold her own. Kendall picked her up and began to carry her off, with a determined and disgusted look on his face. The others followed silently, watching as Katie made no attempt to question what was going on, clearly dazed by her lack of nutrition. Her head lolled to the side, into Kendall's shoulder. He panicked for a second and stopped to be sure she was still breathing. Logan did his doctor thing and allowed him to carry on. She was weak but not gone, she was fighting this, badly but who knows for how much longer.

The street was becoming busier and they didn't want to cause a scene so Carlos called the driver back to Katie's house and he arrived in a few minutes after he finished up his take-out breakfast. He was surprised at the seemingly lifeless body, Kendall carried and began to ask questions hurriedly in case they need a doctor. James brushed him off, calming him down with reassurance. She would need a doctor but right now, all she needed was some sleep. She wasn't dying, not yet, they were just glad they weren't too late.

Logan helped Kendall hold Katie as they bent down to put her in the extra bunk on the bottom. It would be easy access for everyone, and in case she wanted to get up. Logan finished up a quick exam, checking her vitals before giving an all clear. James double checked, knowing some medical skills himself and was at ease, knowing she was safe. Kendall checked her pockets and found her keys and him, Logan and James headed to the house to grab some things, leaving Carlos behind to keep an eye on Katie, who was sleeping soundly, peacefully.

The house was dark and quiet, too quiet in fact. It wasn't long before Kendall noticed that Shadow was no where to be seen. There could have been several reasons why but had no time to think about tit now, although he did call out for him once or twice when the house was clear for any other inhabitants. They found Katie's room pretty quickly and were flattered when they saw her generous collection of BTR memorabilia. James opened her closet and saw three backpacks in the corner under a blanket. One had a few weeks worth of clothes, another had other items and the last one had a list pinned to it of things to grab which they did.

They made a quick exit, locking the door behind them and made their way back to the bus which was already running and as soon as the door shut behind them, the driver took off in a hurry. He took a detour, although the guys had no idea where he was going nor were they paying attention. They kept a watch over Katie as she slept, worrying for her a little bit before pulling the curtain to give her some privacy and getting some sleep themselves. The bus stopped for a moment to get a refill on gas, water and other liquids and a quick charge and they were back on the road within the hour, heading towards the venue where the rest of the fleet was waiting, worried.

Kendall threw Katie's things in his bunk and drew the curtain and the driver had already come up with an excuse that he had gotten lost then needed to stop at a refill station, showing the receipt as proof. Logan overheard the excuse and brought it to the other's attention although they could just play it like they were sleeping, which they were, they just woke up as the bus was pulling in so they had the disheveled and tired look going for them.  
They were hurried off the bus with no chance to explain or even talk. They were 2 hours late for sound check and way behind schedule now. There was a chance that the show might start late but although the staff were in a panic, the guys were calm. They had faith in their fans that they wouldn't throw a riot if they were a little late.

Sound check went well, as the guys ran and bounced all over the scaffolding and sang their tunes to get the mic levels right. It was cut short to try to make up some time and they were rushed off to get dinner and then get dressed and ready for the show that started in 3 hours. They ate dinner quick and popped out to the bus to check on Katie who was still sound asleep. She looked as if she hadn't moved at all in the 2 hours she was sleeping, indicating she was that overworked and exhausted and that they couldn't have gotten her at a better time.

Logan checked her vitals again, which were good and they left, letting her sleep as they prepped for the show. Shortly before Carlos checked on her once more real quick to find her still asleep. He worried about leaving her alone and managed to pull one of their crew members aside and assign him the task. Mike was their trusted friend from back home, he was a builder and since his work, building the set, was complete Carlos asked him to watch over their bus and Katie to which he agreed.

Mike had met Katie once before, when the guys first met Katie. They got along pretty well too. He jumped onto the bus expecting her to be there but then remember she was sleeping and tried to tip tow around the bus as he made himself comfortable. He put his phone on the table so he could see it light up if he was needed and just sat in the back lounge with some TV, on mute reading the captions. Time flew by and Mike saw the guys' tweets about show time, which was minutes away. He wished them luck and went back to watching TV. About halfway through their performance, movement caught his eye and he looked down the hall to the bottom bunk to see the drapes moving ever so slightly.

"Katie?" he called out quietly not sure if she was awake just yet.

The curtain slid back and she tried to crawl out of the bunk. She was clearly weak and confused and Mike came to her rescue, helping her out of the bunk and to her feet. She was still rather confused and seeing Mike, didn't make things any better for her. He looked familiar but he had changed a bit since they saw each other last over 8 months ago.

Although the bus was at a charging station, it had begun to shut down some power and it was getting warm. From what he had heard, and could see, Katie was in bad shape, no doubt the heat wasn't helping so he walked her to the bus door, helped her down the stairs and into the building to the dressing room. She sat back and laid out on the couch, tired, weak and obviously uncomfortable, most likely she was in pain from her body trying to repair itself. He made her a small sandwich and grabbed a bottle of water and helped her try to eat it. After only 2 miniscule bites, she wouldn't take any more and Mike didn't force it.

She could barely stay awake and although Mike tried to keep her awake in the beginning, he eventually stopped and let her pass out. She missed the show as she slept peacefully, although Mike had turned the dressing room TV on so in case she did wake up she could watch them. After another hour of dancing the guys called it a night and came back to their room to crash a little bit. They came in noisy not knowing Katie was there and were quickly silenced by Mike. They didn't know what Mike was shushing them about and Carlos was about to ask why he was here instead of the bus until he saw Katie on the couch.

"She woke up about 2 hours ago and she was out of sorts, still weak but she managed to walk a little bit. The bus went into hibernation and it got really hot, really fast so I brought her in here. She managed to eat a tiny bit of food before passing out shortly after I got her here. She's been out of it ever since." Mike explained.

The guys stayed quiet as they walked around, talking and eating to cool down a little bit and change out of their tour clothes. They spent just over an hour chilling out as the crew packed up the equipment; when they finished they joined the guys for some snacks as the guys packed up their own things to load on the bus. They gathered the rest of the food, split it between the buses, grabbed their stuff and loaded up. Kendall and James came in for the last bit which was only 1 suitcase. Kendall grabbed it as James went straight to Katie and carried her back to the bus in a hurry but yet still gentle.

Kendall grabbed the doors and Logan met them halfway, helping guide James out. He had a bit of a problem getting onto the bus but with Logan guiding and Kendall pushing him up, he managed and set her back down in her bunk. They finished loading the bus and the driver was ready to roll. The driver hit the highway and although the guys were tired, they mingled for another half hour before finally calling it a night and crashing in their own bunks, soon falling asleep to the gentle hum and rocking of the bus.


	20. Chapter 20

All was quiet throughout the bus, occasionally a bump made the bus thump but everyone was used to it so it hardly made a difference. Katie was still passed out in her bunk and had been for several hours now. Logan was awake as usual, he only managed to sleep a few hours at a time, and he often checked in to see how she was doing, finding her sound asleep each time. He jumped back into his bunk to lay down some more and although he felt wide awake, he found his eyes getting heavy and let himself drift to sleep.

It was nearing morning now and the bus was still quiet as ever, being on tour was the only time the guys slept in and they took advantage of it. It was dark on the bus, all the lights were off except for lights from electronics. Even with the shades pulled, day break threatened its way in as it neared. It was only just after 4 but the night sky went from it's purplish/black glow to lighter shades of blue.

Katie woke up in the dark, bunk and was more alert now that she had some rest. She was confused at where she was, panicking for a moment as she felt the walls. She felt her heart beating faster as the adrenaline pumped through her thinking she was trapped in a box, forgetting what had happened yesterday with her and BTR. She thumped around for a few seconds until she felt the movement of the curtain. She pushed through to see the floor and slid out with a thump, landing hard. Some pain shot through her and she felt weak still but managed to try to push herself to her feet.

She looked around and felt the floor moving to which she assumed she was in an RV. It still wasn't connecting that she had been saved and was just confused. It quickly went away when her stomach started to hurt and she felt worse by the second, getting weaker. She turned back around and headed towards the back room feeling her way when she fell into the bathroom, expecting a wall to be there. She quickly pulled herself up and managed to reach the trash can before vomiting violently into it several times and then collapsing to the floor exhausted.

The minutes slowly ticked by as she tried to catch her breath, she desperately wanted water but didn't have the strength to move. She felt relaxed after a little while and tried to move to get water but the more she thought about the delight, her stomach churned and she met the trash can once again, this time with a bang. She didn't even have the strength to vomit and her body screamed in pain as her stomach muscles tried to contract and eject what little was even in her gut.

The thumping and the sound of the trash can was enough to wake Logan, who's bunk was right across from the bathroom. He pulled the curtain back and saw the door pulled around and lights on. He didn't think much of it, although usually no one was up this early or making this much noise. He looked around to see who it might be and saw all the curtains closed; all except for Katie's that is. He jumped down from his bunk and although worried, he did knock first in case it was all for nothing and she was fine. When she didn't answer he opened the door to find her on the floor, face in the trash can, sweaty, and shaking. She managed to look up at him and her face was read and eyes watering. Logan got on his knees to help her out but this was way beyond him.

Without a word he got back up and swung around the corner, hitting the wall to wake up James. His bunk was right next to the bathroom, across from Logan. James was a little put off at the sudden intrusion and threw his curtain back to give Logan what for but saw the panic in his eyes before he disappeared into the bathroom. James jumped out without question and followed to see Katie still on the floor but in a little bit better shape than she was a few minutes ago. With James' help, Logan lifted Katie and gave her some support before carrying her to a couch in the back room to give her space and some air. James stayed behind Logan, waiting for orders since he had no idea what was going on or what to do.

"I don't know what's going on, she's in worse shape than I thought. Tell the driver to get us to the nearest hospital." Logan ordered calmly. James wasted no time and raced through the bus to get to the driver.

"I don't know where a hospital is. Search one online or something, get me an address to put into the GPS." the driver replied.

Logan overheard and pulled out his phone to find one quite a bit a way. Worried about what was wrong and if it was an emergency he called 911 instead, making the driver pull over so the ambulance could get to them. Paramedics arrived quickly and Katie was calm and looked normal, or at least as she was yesterday. She was given oxygen and an IV before being loaded into the ambulance and taken to the hospital, the driver, following closely behind. Needless to say, the commotion managed to wake up Kendall and Carlos who were behind what was going on.

Katie was quickly assessed and put in a critical but stable condition. She was just really malnourished, dehydrated, and exhausted. She was broken so badly and didn't have the energy to fix herself. A few nights rest, a constant IV and some liquefied food would do her well for a few days until she got stronger. She'd be released as she improved.

Like clockwork, Katie recovered quickly and became more alert, and slept less as she got stronger. She was in less pain and looked much better even though it had only been 3 days. The guys had since left for their next shows but they would swing back through as they toured the rest of New England. She had gotten strong enough to get started on walking but it wasn't long before she couldn't go anymore. After months of constant use, her muscles had severely atrophied after the few days rest she had. Also because of the constant use, her body had no chance to repair and she was always in pain. She worked through the pain everyday but now that she was in safe hands, she finally had the chance to relax and cry in pain and no one would abuse her because of it.

Other than weak muscles, she was in good shape as long as she kept up with her doctor regulated diet. After a week, the guys came back to the hospital to pick her up and were happy to see her big improvement. They learned how to care for her as far as feeding and physical therapy. Kendall wheeled her out, everyone all smiles. The bus was waiting out front and Katie was so happy to see it, she tried to get up and struggled.

James offered a hand and lifted her up guiding her the few feet to the stairs but they were too high for her to get them. James picked her up and carried her up the stairs, putting her down near the table. Although she was still light and was easy to pick up, he definitely noticed a difference in her weight gain. He turned back to help the others with the rest of her things. She sat herself down at the table, sliding in pretty easily as she listened to the commotion just outside, waiting for her buds to come back inside.

Once everything was packed and Katie was settled, it was on to the next show almost a full day away in Virginia. Excited to be reunited at last but not wanting to overdo anything, they just talked and played some games. The guys and the crew members would work with Katie on her physical therapy tomorrow, leaving today just to rest up and gather some strength. She soon became tired from the excitement and took a nap, Carlos, Kendall and Logan did as well, leaving James to himself.

Once they all woke up about 2 hours later, they all stopped for dinner, only grabbing some fast food, since Katie still was on a restricted diet until she could stomach more solid foods. Mashed potatoes, boiled carrots and pudding were some of the items she could have. She still wasn't eating or drinking much at all but someone would always urge her to do so but not by force. It'd be a few weeks before she would eat a full meal on her own.

It was late at night before they arrived at their hotel. They already had reservations so it wasn't a big deal except that they were now a room short. Kendall and Logan doubled up giving Katie a room to herself, however an extra access key was given in case they needed it to check in on her. Katie didn't have a wheelchair yet, since they had to give the other one back to the hospital and she was too weak still to use crutches on her own so Carlos helped her walk through the lobby to the elevator then to her room while Kendall and James grabbed their things and Logan waited with their tour manager, Todd, as he checked them all in.

Their hotels were booked early enough that they got a whole hall or a section of a hall to themselves and this was one of those times, it was a penthouse floor so there was added security for their protection. By the time Carlos and Katie reached her room, Kendall wasn't far behind them in the elevator with the trolley. He dropped off everyone's bags and went to return the trolley. He got in the elevator and began his descent as James came up in the other one, confused as to where Kendall went. Upon seeing his bags at his door, he figured Kendall wasn't far off.

Because it was late, everyone went to their rooms right away, saying goodnight and parting ways, ready to hit the hay after a busy and exciting day. Katie fell asleep quickly, although her mind was buzzing with so many thoughts. Logan of course had difficulty falling asleep as did Kendall and Carlos. James didn't take long before he was out for the night. Eventually they all fell as sleep, as evidence the next morning when they woke up to see what time it was getting to be.

No one wanted to get out of bed, they were all still so tired and groggy so they went back to sleep but it wasn't long before their manager pounded on their doors to get them up so they could start their day. They had a photo shoot and interview right after breakfast then sound check, another interview, then the meet and greet. There was no time to waste.

Carlos flew out of his bed in an effort to silence his manager so he wouldn't wake Katie, she needed all the sleep she could get. The concert was in the next building over so she was free to come and go as she pleased, they had given her a lanyard with backstage access and a crew member was sent out to pick up a wheelchair for her to maneuver in. Mike was going to be with her for most of the day as soon as she woke up anyway. It'd be best if she stayed out of the public's eyes for a while as she recuperated to avoid questions until she could really wow the crowd with her singing and dancing.

Mike came back with her new chair just after she had woken up and began hobbling around the hall. The guys were already gone and Katie was a little hungry. Breakfast in the hotel had ended but Mike thought ahead and picked up a small breakfast sandwich from McDonald's. He cut it up into small pieces so she could hopefully digest it. Katie ate less than half but drank a good amount of water. Mike wrapped the sandwich for later before he had to leave for sound check.

Katie didn't want to stay in her room and asked to go to sound check. Mike checked with the managers and they said there would be a few viewing parties but she could stay off stage to watch. He wheeled her down and set her up to watch before going to work. The guys came in 20 minutes later, nearly missing her presence as they took the stage. They gave a quick hello and smile before starting. She watched with a smile as she saw her first real sound check.


	21. Chapter 21

Sound check went well as normal and BTR excused themselves form the crowd of journalists to put away their gear but to also say hi to their newest addition to the crew, Katie who sat in her wheelchair watching from the sidelines. They were thrilled to see her up and around even if it wasn't walking. They knew it would be a while before she could run with them and have some fun but they were willing to help out. Plus she was a strong willed girl and helped herself out instead of relying on the others to help her.

They had a busy afternoon ahead of them so they left after a few minutes and Katie went her own way to do her own thing, Mike catching up with her later to begin some physical therapy in the hotel's gym. Therapy went well and Katie walked a bit farther and faster then she did the other day. Her will power, positive attitude and motivation let her continue on with ease until her leg suddenly gave out. Mike caught her mostly and called it a day. She wanted to go back to her room to relax a bit and get online. She was thankful the guys grabbed her stuff from the closet as well as her laptop, and phone, which hadn't gone off in the 10 days she had been gone from home.

There were no missed calls, texts or voicemails from anyone, not even her parents. She was saddened at this to no end as she thought about the good times she did have. She thought about if she had made the right decision to leave, not that she really had a choice in the matter that is. Even her face book was empty, it seemed no one knew or more likely, no one cared that she was gone. Not that is surprised her anyway. Scrolling through her earlier face book, she saw so many comments that made her smile on her statuses and wall and now there was almost nothing. Her wall was blank, and comments were scarce. She really was the most hated person in town and she wondered if things would change being here and if the guys found about her past, what would happen then; would they ditch her like the others for the sake of their own image?

BTR and their crew were chilling back stage ready to perform in 2 hours. Their interview had gone well, sound check was done and they were dressed and ready to go. Mike was now just coming in and everyone was happy to see him, interested in how things went with Katie.

"Went well, she worked about a half hour before her body gave out on her. She'll be walking on her own in no time!" he said enthusiastically. "She's really trying hard to get moving."

"Well, she's been through a lot and she had no time to complain. That's what she is used to." Kendall said

"No one ever waited on her, helped her or cared enough to see the damage she was suffering through." Carlos added.

"Glad to hear she's doing good though. Now we can rest easy a little bit." Logan smiled

'Where is she?" James questioned.

"In her room. I can bring her down later once the show starts." Mike replied

"Don't. Too many people backstage, we don't want to raise questions just yet. We'll try in a week, once she gathers some strength." James continued.

The show went on with out a hitch and they packed up the vans and buses quickly to move on to the next stop. Summer had hit its peak in mid July and it was very hot, luckily the bus had a powerful air conditioner but even then sometimes it wasn't enough in the beginning. The days went by pretty quickly and Katie got stronger by the day, working with her everyday. Just as James predicted, within the week she was walking on her own, slowly but surely.  
She had more energy and would play outside with the guys as they tossed a Frisbee, played some baseball or whatever. She couldn't run quite yet but she was getting there, and she tried all the time, only to fall or trip up. She picked herself up some protective gear to stop getting scratched up all the time. She loved being outdoors and moving around after being cooped up for so long. She was gaining weight fast too, she had more energy and muscle to hold herself up and move around with ease.

Back in California for a few tour dates, before hitting the Midwest summer fairs, the guys and the crew had a weekend to themselves before their next show. Kendall took Katie with him to his house to introduce her to her new family. Just like Kendall promised, Katie would be staying with him, he could afford to care for her and he meant too. His mom was thrilled to meet her and both ladies hit it off. Kendall had an older brother who was at college and she got the room to herself. Kendall had two younger sisters as well and although they weren't thrilled at this new guest, he knew eventually they would warm up to her.

Kendall grabbed a few things and dropped off his dirty clothes before leaving to catch the next plane to Hawaii on his own, leaving Katie to rest up a little. He knew his mom might let her physical therapy slip but it was chance he had to take. Getting her off the bus was the best thing for Katie, she needed a new environment and room to move. She would be surrounded by animals too so that would help her get in the spirit.

Kendall didn't come back home after his vacation and instead went right back on tour to the California tour dates starting in Northern California and making their way back down the shoreline. There wasn't really a set pattern and like most tours of any band, it didn't make sense at all as they crossed the state in a very awkward zig zag. They had a week's worth of tour dates in Cali and they had one in LA. Katie was doing much better and could walk on her own even run for a little bit. She could dance and had an abundance of energy. Thrilled with the news she came with them to their LA show to see the behind the scenes action.

They didn't have any other visitors at this show other than VIP purchasers and with Katie dressed in black with a lanyard, it made her look super official so none of the fans would feel the need to get jealous. Katie watched sound check carefully, watching their movements and giving input, measuring out different things in her head. Her intelligence was compared with Logan's although his was more scientific and mathematical, Katie's was more practical so there was no over stepping boundaries.

Katie planned on watching the show from the side stage, helping out when needed. She took her sport next to Mike and another crew member, Ronald and watched quietly but with a huge smile on her face as they sang and danced like magic. She was so entranced by the show it took a good nudge from Mike to snap her out of it so she could help him pick up random items thrown on stage. She was quick and efficient, staying low. Notes, phone numbers, personal items, bracelets, even undergarments were thrown on stage at almost all of their shows and Katie had gotten all of these items in a matter of seconds, impressing not only herself but her new coworkers too.

She continued this routine after every song, eventually it took its toll though but it was break time for intermission. BTR had seen her work and were impressed at her speed. She followed them back to the dressing room but stayed outside the door, out of habit of being treated less than equal. Carlos doubled back to check why she wasn't following to see her outside the door, so he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in with confidence and a reassuring smile. It was something that she had to get used to. She was an equal in their eyes.

Kendall put food in front of her, knowing that she had gained a good appetite but she wasn't eating yet, another habit of hers. She just wasn't used to being welcomed like this and eating along side people who cared about her, especially celebrities. But she didn't really see them as celebrities when they hung out like this, she saw them as friends, something she never really had until recently. Kendall urged her to eat and she did so with a smile. The guys watched in amazement as she ate everything in front of her.

Soon enough it was time to go back to the show. Katie stayed behind to clean up a little bit, less work to do later. As soon as the guys hit the stage they began their speech of the worldwide girl and the crowd screamed in excitement as they fought over who it would be. Logan was about to pick when James stopped him.

"I have a better idea." James said.

"What's that?" Logan said.

"I don't know if you guys are thinking what I am thinking but…" he faded out.

"Should I …?" Kendall offered, his voice fading as he took the mic from his mouth. The crowd was getting silent but restless waiting for whatever was going to happen. Kendall ran off stage, and the girls in the crowd sighed at his departure in frustration and concern. He met Mike quickly just off stage and expected Katie to be there as well.

"What's wrong Kendall?" tour manager, Matt asked rushing to the side stage with reinforcements, thinking he was sick or being chased.

"Mike, where's Katie?" Kendall asked him, ignoring Matt for the moment.

"I don't know, I thought she followed me but when I got here, I didn't see her. I was about to go back but I had to fix one of the towers that had come loose."

"Oh man…I know she's feeling better but I really don't think she's ready to be out of our sight!" Kendall said a little sharply but not meaning any harm as he ran past the group t back stage.

He could hear the other guys talking into their mics to the crowd, calling Kendall's name since he was taking so long. Kendall replied back hastily but concerned. The crowd could hear Kendall but they couldn't see him, they thought he was right behind the stage but he was way back. The sound system had a pretty strong range. Kendall went straight to the dressing room, where they all saw her last. The door was shut and he burst in, scaring Katie who had a platter in her hands, that had now gone flying.

Katie screamed, as did Kendall. The crowd heard it all followed by a crash, they weren't sure wether to laugh or worry and both reactions were had. The crew and band were confused to say the least and had no idea what to do, whatever was going on didn't sound good but didn't sound horrible either. They didn't have too much time to react to whatever was going on before their security team escorted them off stage, to the dismay, confusion, and worrying of the crowd. The band wasn't sure why they were being moved but they didn't fight it to avoid worrying the crowd further.

"Kendall, you ok?" James called into his mic. There was rustling and some feedback before Kendall finally answered with a 'yes'.

"I found who I was looking for, spooking them in the process."

"You guys alright?" Carlos asked concerned.

"I am, but she could be better…" Kendall replied

"What did you do?" Logan wondered

"I'm ok!" a girl's voice answered after a rustling noise.

Kendall could be heard in the background. The others recognized it as Katie and were a little worried at what just happened, how bad was she hurt? The crowd was confused still and the band and crew worried that there would be an uproar. Comments and tweets they have seen from fans could get crazy at the sight of even the women that work for them such as make-up, hair, and wardrobe.

Now that everything was straightened out a little bit, the band was released and they wandered back on stage, staying to the side while waiting for Kendall. Once he was on his way, the others went on stage to begin their speech again, Kendall joining in time to time while he walked back with Katie. Katie could no longer see or hear what was going on stage and figured she was just going back to the side stage to wait out the rest of the show, to ease Kendall's nerves. He told her he was a little worried that she didn't come back right away so she went with him without a fight.

"We have a very special person with us tonight that we would like to introduce you tonight." James began.

"We met this girl, several months ago and although we didn't get along at first, she won our hearts." Logan continued.

"She's the most generous, kind, patient and loving person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." Carlos added. "The sad part is, is that she doesn't get any recognition or thanks. She spent the last year, being abused by everyone around her and used like some sort of animal."

"We wanted to give her thanks by showing our appreciation and we knew you guys would understand because we have the best fans in the world!" James said.

"This lovely lady, our new best friend, is going to be our world wide girl tonight!" Logan yelled. The crowd cheered with enthusiasm, letting it die down a little as they waited for Kendall and Katie to show up, who should have been there by now.


	22. Chapter 22

***AN* Ending is very close. I think it is safe to say is 1-2 chapters away. I feel like my endings are rushed in excitement to finish or just out of boredom, especially with longer stories that tend to take several days/weeks. This chapter dragged on a little bit further than it should have and there is only a plot advancement during the first half, the rest is filler i guess. I'm hitting my key points though so I'm getting there. As I finish the ending, I will be taking my time with it a little bit. I have more stories to write and cant wait to get started however they will be shorter fan fics or I will take a break from FF and go to FP (fiction press!) It seems to be my pattern, after a long story I write several short/medium length stories before going back to a big one and most of my long stories had originally planned as medium length! In any case, give me a few days maybe even a couple weeks to get the ending up. I almost never forget a story once started but sometimes I do have multiple stories going if I get bored or get writiers block or just have a really good idea that I dont want to forget and get out on paper, and its short enough to do so.***

Kendall had his mic in his pocket and his in-ear monitors had fallen out due to tension on the cord, so he couldn't hear or speak to his band mates. Eventually though, Mike, met up with them just past the back stage area and helped them along as everyone else waited patiently for them. As they got closer they could hear some cheering and the cheering got a little louder once the rest of BTR looked over to the side stage, seeing movement.

Their focused attention and pointing got the crowd going a little, excited to see what was going on. People in the front row, didn't really have a good view and neither did much of the crowd just because of the odd angles of the stage. The other members of BTR could see pretty clearly, they saw someone's backend, and by the clothing and mic pack, determined it to be Kendall, as he struggled with something. They were about to help, as were the other crew members waiting in back but Kendall and Mike, both managed to lift Katie up the 2 stairs to the level platform.

During the commotion backstage, there was a bit of an accident and Katie injured her leg, it wasn't broken but it did hurt and she couldn't bear much weight on it. Mike grabbed a stool and brought it out to the center stage and the others gathered around as Kendall slowly made his appearance, bringing the crowd to a roar. Katie limped slowly at his side as he helped her across the stage to the stool. James held the stool from the back and Kendall and Logan both picked her up to put her on the stool. She positioned herself to get comfortable and couldn't help but feel her face go red with embarrassment as she sat in front of a large screaming crowd. She was afraid of the jealousy and hate.

"This is our best friend, Katie. She's been through so much and she deserves better." Logan started.

"It's a small token but its just the start of what we can do." Carlos added

"This song's for you." Kendall said.

The music started playing and the guys sang worldwide to Katie just as gently and beautiful as they had done to anyone else, The showered her with hugs as they serenaded her and she couldn't help but cry. She was listening to the song and took it all in but she was overcome with so much emotion, she wasn't used to this at all, she truly felt liked, loved even. She couldn't have been happier as she sang along softly. When the song ended, everyone cheered and Katie received more hugs from the guys. She was ready to step down from the stool, Carlos and James helping her, but Kendall stopped them.

"I know you're a little sore, and you're going to hate me for this but, I have a surprise for everyone out there." Kendall began talking to Katie first, then switching to the crowd. "I already planned this earlier today." Kendall continued, talking to Katie again. He pointed to her other side and she turned to see Jack, the sound guy right next to her, with a mic pack and mic. He started stringing her up as soon as she saw him and she tuned to Kendall with a look of fear and shock.  
"I know what you're thinking, but I intend to keep my promise." he said. Katie tried to squirm her way out, scared, nearly having a panic attack but no one would let her go. "Let's do this." he said with a grin.

It took a minute before the music played and the entire time Katie was panicking, she had no idea what song was going to play and she hadn't sung in weeks, months even. She didn't want to do this and was scared out of her mind that she would make a fool out of herself. The pain in her leg diminished enough under the adrenaline running through her system to forget about it until she tried to walk on it. She nearly collapsed but James caught her and put her back on the stool, holding her still, trying to calm her. Carlos gave her, her mic with a stern but reassuring face. She was still scared and the tears started to fall but they were all adamant on this.

Music started to play but she wasn't really paying attention to the beat, as her heart pounded hard and fast. Kendall sat on the stool next to her, arm on his knee and pulled the mic up to his lips to begin singing his line of the song. It took a few words for Katie to settle down enough to recognize the beat. Her turn was coming up fast but she still wasn't sure. She looked to Kendall who only looked back at her with his green eyes and she became entranced in a way.  
Without thinking, she began to sing her line, right on cue. It was the same song, that got her into this whole situation in the first place all those months ago. This time though, although she was so nervous, somehow, Kendall's eyes seemed to calm her down. She wasn't even paying attention to the song anymore, but she was still singing all the right words, right on cue. She got into it quickly, dancing in her seat as Kendall moved around, putting his arm around her now and then.

"Hold me feel my heart beat, and put your arms around me, oh, and kiss me again, and again, and again. Oh, kiss me again…" Katie sang, fading out her last line as the song ended. Right on cue, Kendall called her attention from the crowd she had garnered the nerve to sing to and she met his lips on hers as he gave her a big kiss.

The crowd had cheered for the end of the song and died down but at the kiss, got louder than before. The other band members were stunned at the display and could only look on in shock at the sight but ultimately clapped and cheered before a group hug was called for. Katie was stunned at what just happened but had no time to think before being nearly suffocated by the others. They eventually broke away, giving Katie the chance to gather some oxygen.

"We wanted to share with you, this girl's amazing talent. She can sing, like you just saw, she can dance, act and she's super creative. We found her talents months ago and so far, no record label, including our own producer will sign her. We need your help to get her to fame; go to our website /katietofame and vote." Kendall said.

"Be honest with your votes, judge her on her talents, not her looks, or your jealousy." Carlos added.

"We've had this planned for a long time now and have been waiting for a chance to put it in action." James said

"When we saw your state just a few weeks ago, we knew we couldn't wait anymore. You'll never have to go back to that hell again.' Kendall assured. "I promise I'll protect you." he continued as he pulled her into a hug.

At that moment, she felt a huge relief lift from her as his arms draped around her shoulders. She felt at peace, and she felt safe. She couldn't help but cry and hold him tight in return as thanks for his kind words and actions. It was the only thing she could think of to do at the moment and just held tight. Kendall squeezed her harder, never letting go until she was ready.

When she was able to calm down a little, she pulled away, wiping the remainder of tears from her eyes and the other guys surrounded her with smiles and reassuring pats on the shoulder. She jumped off the stool as best she could with her injured leg, landing on her good one, losing balance a good deal but recovered nicely, and threw her arms around each one of them. They each hugged her back and the crowd cheered the entire time. Mike was called back over by James, so he could take Katie backstage to rest or even better, to a doctor but instead, Kendall swooped in and carried her off stage like a hero.

She had gained much of her desired weight at this point and Kendall was already tired from his performance and couldn't quite make it past the side stage, but the crew wasn't about to let him try anyway, he had a show to get back to. After he transferred Katie to one of the construction techs, Kendall returned to the stage and the guys continued their show. The tech carried her down the stairs and placed her down, just past them before turning to leave. Katie began to limp her way back, the pain not so bad as before but now slightly burning with a feeling of swelling.

The more she moved, the more pain she felt. It hurt to walk but it hurt more to move and eventually it became unbearable and she stopped altogether to lean against the wall and take the weight off her injured leg. After a few minutes when the pain subsided, she continued on, making a quick dash to the room. She made it in quickly but crashed to the couch in excruciating pain and couldn't help but let out a yell of pain and discomfort. She held her leg, closed her eyes and rocked a little bit, waiting for the pain to die down. The entire time she was scared to see what might be going on, under her pants leg.

Once she could stand the pain better, she wasn't no time in feeling her leg to find the tender points. Heat was coming off her leg right around the knee pretty good and there was a noticeable difference in size due to swelling. She rolled up her pant leg to see it inflamed and red; there was even some bruising beginning to form. The accident with Kendall happened over an hour ago and she figured she shouldn't be feeling this much pain still so she must have done something.

She tried to retrace her steps as to what happened. When Kendall came in, he barged through the door, not knocking since he figured no one would have been in their anyway. She did get tapped with the door but not hard at all, in fact she was only brushed with it. She remembered being frightened and then heard Kendall yelling with her before she crashed. She had turned around and backed up, bumping into the table and landing on the floor pretty hard.

Even with all her retracing, she couldn't figure it out as to how she hurt her leg as bad as she did. She'd walk it off for a day or 2 to see if it would get better, although she really couldn't walk. The guys would be asking if she was ok when they got back in about a half hour so she decided to get some ice and rest up and hope for the best. If they saw her limping or struggling at all, there would be a problem. She grabbed a baggy of ice and hopped over to the couch, throwing herself on it, wrapping the bag on the tender area and stretched out. She got comfortable quickly, watching the rest of the concert.

The band members thanked their fans for a great night but before leaving reminded them all to vote and spread the word to help make a fellow Rusher's life better than ever. They did their last dance as they ran around the stage and jumped on the trampoline a few times before exiting to the side stage to grab towels and water. Leaving crew members to pack and clean up quickly as many were already busy behind set. They came back out for a little more as they ran to the center and up the ramp to the elevator in their stage and rode it down, waving to a screaming crowd.

The flew off the elevator and to wardrobe to quickly change out of their clothes and into their street clothes before they could head back to their dressing room to grab their things. They always had at least an hour to wind down after a show as everything was packed away and the stage was disassembled. They walked into their room to find Katie taking a nap, and although they were rowdy, as normal, walking in, it didn't seem to phase her.

They quieted down quickly and walked around grabbing snack and their things as they tried to unwind, cool down and what ever else they wanted to do. Katie did wake up a short time after they walked in, she wasn't in a deep sleep and had only fallen asleep about 15-20 minutes ago.

"Morning." James said jokingly.

Katie didn't respond right away, rubbing her eyes and running a hand through her hair as she stretched. She quickly stopped and recoiled feeling the pain in her knee strike back with a vengeance.

"Leg still hurts?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah, I tried putting ice on it but it didn't seem to do anything. Its swollen, I feel heat and it hurts to walk on more than ever. Brian carried me only to the bottom of the stairs before putting me down and I felt fine at first but the more I moved, the worse I felt." she explained.

"We're heading home tonight anyway so you can check in with a doctor tomorrow." Carlos advised.

"I'll have my mom drive you, she wont mind, she took a liking to you it seems. I wont be able to take you, we have a show in San Antonio and after that, we are headed to the Midwest for 2 weeks." Kendall said.

They friends talked some more as they snacked before packing it up when their manager told them they had a half hour before the bus was scheduled to leave. Katie helped out and grabbed her things, packing them in her backpack and putting it on before walking out with Logan and Carlos with some small items. She made it halfway down the long hall before she began to lag behind. She limped along, keeping her injured leg as still as possible and kept her groans of pain at a minimum, looking at the floor as she went. Carlos and Logan waited ahead for her, offering assistance but she declined as she tip-toed towards them slowly. James and Kendall soon caught up with the last bundle of stuff and saw Katie struggling.

With their hands full, they just took her slower pace and walked with her, giving her words of encouragement and patience. Their manager soon came in looking for them, a crew member at his side, to see what was taking so long. He saw Katie struggling and took her share of the load before telling the crew member to take Katie. She backed away a little but the crew member picked her up quickly, yet gently, avoiding her injured leg and walked out swiftly, the tour manager right behind him, hurrying the guys along. The guys made it outside just in time to see the crew member dropping Katie off at the bus doors and heading to his new orders the tour manager just gave him. The tour manager opened the bus door and gave Katie her things back and left. Katie attempted the first stair but either leg she used caused pain.

"Hang on," Logan called out.

He ran up the stairs first and chucked his stuff onto the table, came back out for her things and put them on the floor just to the side of the door from the stairs. He jumped down the last 2 stairs and picked her up with some ease, as she gave a small jump into his arms so he could get a good grip.

Logan tried to get up the stairs but missed the first time and the 2nd time nearly lost his balance. The third time though, Katie grabbed the rail, giving them both the gumption to go forward, enough so she could reach the floor and pull her self in. Logan was strong, maybe not as strong as James but pretty close. Katie was easy to carry, it was just awkward on the bus because it was so narrow and steep. To make it easy on everyone, once Katie had the stamina to do so, they just lifted her enough to put her on the bus's floor and she would pull herself in and up if she could, otherwise, who ever picked her up would help her up once they got in themselves.

Unable to bend her leg though, made it hard for her to get up on her own so Logan got behind her, locked his arms underneath her and lifted up, getting her to her feet in a few seconds. She thanked him and grabbed her things from the floor and hobbled to the table to sit down and watched the guys come in and out a few more times before finally packed and the bus took off to LA so they could go home.


	23. Chapter 23

***AN* Ending is very close. I think it is safe to say is 1-2 chapters away. I feel like my endings are rushed in excitement to finish or just out of boredom, especially with longer stories that tend to take several days/weeks. This chapter dragged on a little bit further than it should have and there is only a plot advancement during the first half, the rest is filler i guess. I'm hitting my key points though so I'm getting there. As I finish the ending, I will be taking my time with it a little bit. I have more stories to write and cant wait to get started however they will be shorter fan fics or I will take a break from FF and go to FP (fiction press!) It seems to be my pattern, after a long story I write several short/medium length stories before going back to a big one and most of my long stories had originally planned as medium length! In any case, give me a few days maybe even a couple weeks to get the ending up. I almost never forget a story once started but sometimes I do have multiple stories going if I get bored or get writiers block or just have a really good idea that I dont want to forget and get out on paper, and its short enough to do so.***

The concert ended at 10, they left the venue around 11 and it was a 45 minute- 1 hour drive back to LA with all of Cali's traffic. They were dropped off at the studio lot, where they kept their cars and loaded up their things before the bus took off to a nearby bus depot where the bus was rented from. It wasn't totally empty, since they would be using it again the day after tomorrow, they had one more show in California one town over before they left. They all got in their cars and parted ways until tomorrow afternoon.

Kendall lived the closest and was the first one home. Although it was near midnight, the house was pretty active, most likely waiting for Kendall to return. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car then got out. Shortly after he was greeted by movement at the front door by his mom and one of his sisters. His dad worked nights so he wasn't home. Katie hadn't gotten out yet, and Mrs. Knight noticed quickly.

"Where's Katie?" She said slightly panicked.

"Calm down, she's in the car, she's fine." Kendall said calmly but slightly talking back. He was tired from the concert and wasnt sure how to explain what happened to Katie.

"Oh is she sleeping? Poor thing." she cooed.

"No she isn't sleeping, I'll get her." he said. Katie had opened the door during their discussion. Since it was dark, it was hard to see inside the car but Katie was awake and moving as she gathered some things from the front seat. She began to step out of the car before stopping, watching Kendall walk around the car towards her.

"Oh, I didn't see her moving in the dark. Hi, Katie!" She said sweetly. "You're such a gentlemen, Kendall, I certainly raised you well." she continued, noting Kendall walking to the car, thinking he was getting her door or her things.

"It's a little bit more complicated than that." Kendall replied as he bent down into the car. Katie was already half out but it made it a little awkward. He managed to get a grip on her and she hang tight as he pulled her out. Katie yelped a little bit, hitting her leg on the way out. "I promise she's fine, we just had a little accident-" Kendall was cut off.

"Kendall Donald Knight!" his mother shrieked, rushing his sister back in side. Kendall was shocked and confused at his mother's reaction but before he could say anything she ate into him more. "How dare you engage in such behavior, taking advantage of this poor girl in her recovering state!" Kendall took a step back at his mother's words and lost his balance a little. His mom kept at him and when she took a breath he took his chance

"MOM! I swear it's not what you think!" he fought back. In his excitement, he lost his grip and Katie fell partly to the ground, legs first, landing with a shriek of pain that stopped the argument cold. Kendall went down to make sure she was ok, apologizing over and over. Katie was in some pain and a little put off that she was on the ground but once the pain subsided a little she just laughed it off as Kendall helped her back up and carried her into the house, his mom right behind him with their things. He set her down right in front of the bed and she took it from there. His mom came in to drop off her things, minus the laundry that she would put in tonight.

"So what exactly happened?" she asked

"I was in the dressing room after intermission and instead of going back, I stayed to clean up so there would be less to do when the show was over. All of a sudden, Kendall comes rushing in, scaring the crap out of me and I dropped everything and tripped somehow, ending up on the floor." she explained

"Kendall?" she said turning to him for his explanation.

"I expected her to be on the side stage like she was, Mike didn't know where she was and thought she followed him out and I panicked, and I began looking for her." he replied

"So then what's the deal?" she asked

"It hurts to walk and move my leg too much. Right around the knee, front, back and one side. It was swollen but I had some ice on it so it went down some. Its still red and burns a little though, some minor bruising too." Katie explained.

"I don't think its anything serious, but take her to the hospital tomorrow?" Kendall asked

"Absolutely. First thing in the morning when you wake up we'll go." she smiled at Katie. "Get some rest, both of you, busy day tomorrow." She said, dragging Kendall out as she closed Katie's door.

Katie fell asleep quickly and morning arrived even quicker it seemed. The blinds on her window were way up so the morning sun shined it's way in. She turned over but it was a little to late to fall back asleep at this point, even though she tried. It wasn't long though before Mrs. Knight came in to wake Katie up; it was almost 10 and it was a decent hour. Katie got dressed quickly and Mr. knight, who had just come home, carried her to the care instead, since Kendall was still asleep. He was going to need his sleep more since he had a concert later so it was ok.

It was a long wait at the ER, almost an hour before they were seen. Xrays, scans and other physical tests were done before she was diagnosed with a simple yet somewhat serious, pulled ligament. It was pretty bad, almost a tear but it was caught in time. She was put on strict bed rest to avoid moving any part of her leg. She didn't want to miss the concert tonight though, it would be the last time in a while she would see the guys, and with doctor's permission and agreement from her new guardians to help her around she was granted to go.

It would be at least 2 weeks before she could walk on crutches, she didn't have the upper arm strength to do so anyway at the moment as eh still recovered from her former abuse. Moving Katie around would be difficult during the day with Kendall gone so the Knight's purchased a new wheelchair, one that would be more maneuverable in the house than the one she had on tour. Having just come out of one, she relearned quickly how to use one and was off and running although it would still take some getting used to with a splint on her leg. She was released to the hospital with full care instructions and taken back home.

The concert venue was a difficult place to access in Katie's condition as far as the backstage area went but with help from the band and crew she made it to her spot on the side stage to watch them perform. She was brought out again later in the show to perform again and she was more relaxed at it this time. Kendall didn't kiss her though, just hugged her. They never really talked about that kiss so she didn't know what it meant. She didn't want to ignore it but she didn't want to take it for something else either.

All in all she had a good night and went back home. Although it was a busy day and night, the guys had to leave right after the show to Montana. They would be spending the night on the bus, taking a nearly 2 day trip to the treasure state. They said their good byes and wished her well and a speedy recovery. They hugged her and gave her kiss on the cheek each and watched as they boarded the bus, waving to them as they drove out of sight, into the night. She was wheeled out to the car and she got herself into the back seat so she could stretch out in comfort.

The next few days were quite the test. She felt useless laying there and wanted to help out, feeling bad that Mrs. Knight was waiting on her hand and foot. Katie wasn't used to this kind of treatment at all, usually having to suffer through pain and injuries. She tried to keep herself busy by reading a book, doing some old paperwork she had or popping onto the computer to play a game. Mrs. Knight kept her fed with delicious food she prepared by hand everyday. Even though it was amazing, Katie had a decrease in appetite from all her stress and such.

Worried for her health, Mrs. Knight made an appointment with the family's doctor but there wasn't much he could do, and told the family to wait it out and maybe once she became more active or used to her new surroundings things might get better. Katie felt out of place in this ready made family, she felt welcomed and she felt wanted, needed and even a little love but part of her still missed back home, despite the abuse and neglect. She was attached and found it hard to leave, regretting everything she had done. She wanted to check in, to go home or something, anything. Her parents were the only 2 people in her life for so long and she felt she owed them so much.

She was hesitant to call though, no one had contacted her at all, no texts, no missed calls, no messages. She hadn't been on face book in weeks and felt it would look just like it did on her birthday, empty. She could think of more reasons not to call home than she could to do so but even then she still wanted to call. She sat back, trying to push back the tears but ultimately couldn't keep them in any longer and let them flow. The emotional pain she was feeling didn't come close to the pain in her leg. She felt trapped and just wanted it all to end; she didn't want to live anymore.


	24. Chapter 24

***AN* Ending is very close. I think it is safe to say is 1-2 chapters away. I feel like my endings are rushed in excitement to finish or just out of boredom, especially with longer stories that tend to take several days/weeks. This chapter dragged on a little bit further than it should have and there is only a plot advancement during the first half, the rest is filler i guess. I'm hitting my key points though so I'm getting there. As I finish the ending, I will be taking my time with it a little bit. I have more stories to write and cant wait to get started however they will be shorter fan fics or I will take a break from FF and go to FP (fiction press!) It seems to be my pattern, after a long story I write several short/medium length stories before going back to a big one and most of my long stories had originally planned as medium length! In any case, give me a few days maybe even a couple weeks to get the ending up. I almost never forget a story once started but sometimes I do have multiple stories going if I get bored or get writiers block or just have a really good idea that I dont want to forget and get out on paper, and its short enough to do so.***

The guys were busy with their tour almost everyday, if they weren't doing an actual show or sound check they were with the local news media or radio station doing an interview, photo shoot, or acoustic set. They had little time to themselves, other than sleeping that is. They ate, showered and shaved at their hotel or even the venue, living out of their now disorganized and cluttered bags, that were packed neatly 2 weeks ago. They weren't always thinking about Katie, in fact she often slipped their minds until something they saw reminded them or when one time, an interviewer asked them about the vote they had fans do in California.

The vote was open to everyone and with Rushers being such a tight knit group, it wasn't long before word got out and Rushers were voting left and right. To keep things fair and safe, voters had to sign in with face book or twitter to vote so they could only vote once per account. They could leave comments too and because of the lack of anonymity many comments were positive. However almost an equal number were negative, although it wasn't about her lack of talent, some comments were but others were laced with jealousy. Even more were laced with hate in some way. Disappointed with their rushers, they tweeted about the hate and it seemed to die off a little.

The guys had no idea what the official score was, it was hidden from voters and the band did not have access to the workings of the sites. They just hoped for the best and whatever happened, happened. Kendall promised he would keep his word but at the same time he wondered what he would do. He thought about that kiss he gave her a while back, on occasion but he never talked to her about it and she never brought it up. He didn't remember why he did it, it just happened but until she brought it up, neither was he.

After the third week of Mid-West summer fairs, BTR was free to continue the tour. The hit south coast making a loop back through California to Washington although they were no where near their hometowns to stop in. After 5 weeks of shows, they were ready to call it quits as they finished the north boarder and even some shows in Canada before heading home.

They arrived in California in the early morning, reaching LA by late morning. They were wide awake, packed and ready to get off the bus and be free once more. They loved touring and seeing the world and meeting fans all over the place but being in a small space with each other for nearly 6 weeks, pushed them to their limits. If they weren't such good friends, someone would be dead or severely beaten by the end of the tours.

Katie had been having a slow recovery than she should have. She tried moving around and doing her therapy but her heart just wasn't in it. She almost stopped eating altogether, eating only very small portions to keep up some of her energy. She tried getting out of bed several times but lost all motivation almost immediately at the first sign of pain or weakness. She was feeling sorry for herself, she had never had an injury this severe and just couldn't stand the fact she was being waited on. She couldn't get it out of her head that she was being a bother and being useless like she would have been at home if this happened. She was scared someone would snap and she'd be in the same boat so her mind took over her sense of reality and common sense, letting her waste away with ease on her own so she wouldn't have to face the abuse she was sure was coming.

By noon, Kendall arrived home, his mom in the kitchen making a hearty home cooked lunch, he could smell from outside. He dropped his duffle bag in the living room and raced through the house to the kitchen hugging his mom from behind first. She jumped at his welcome before hugging him back, leaning in to kiss him on the forehead. She leaned back forward to find his hand in the bowl of Jambalaya she was mixing. She tapped his hand out but not before Kendall took a good taste, and ran out of the kitchen.

"Honestly, that boy can be such trouble!" she said sternly but with a smile. She knew he was just messing around. All her children were angels and couldn't ask for anyone better. She hoped that Kendall's return might brighten Katie's mood, even if just a little. She wanted to see Katie up and around again, all bright eyed and smiles.

Kendall picked up his bag to bring to his room. As he passed he noticed, Katie's door shut and thought she might be changing or something since she didn't seem to hear him and all his commotion coming in. He tossed the duffle into his room, letting it make a loud crash and turned to Katie's room, knocking.  
"Katie? What are you doing? I'm home!" he said through the door but there wasn't a response. He opened the door slowly and called again only to be met with a sigh and a weak sounding 'come in' to which he did. He found her laying in bed, on her side facing away from him. She wasn't overly enthusiastic and couldn't really understand why, surely she wasn't still sleeping? He didn't know where to begin and just walked over to her bed only to notice the small pile of tissues on the other side and on the bed.

"You alright?" he asked

"Fine. Allergies." she said trying to sound happy.

"Aw that sucks. Mom is making something really good, so I hope you have an appetite. Come downstairs?" he asked

"I would but my head is killing me, anytime I move I feel sick to my stomach." she lied

"Oh, ok. No problem, rest up and hope you feel better. I just got home and want to hang out and show you all my pictures!" he said enthusiastically. He left, shutting the door behind him but he felt off somehow. He shook it off and went downstairs for lunch. His mom had a bowl prepared for Katie, on a tray with some water and told Kendall to bring it too her.

"She has a headache." he said.

"Oh." she replied. She wasn't sure if it was the truth or not, with the way Katie's been acting it was hard to tell but she let it go, letting Kendall enjoy his meal as he had seconds and thirds. He obviously didn't know yet about her condition and she just left it alone for now.

Later, when it was dinner time, Kendall expected Katie to join them but still she complained of a headache and declined. Kendall didn't want to take no for an answer and kept pushing, saying she needed to eat. She said no each time, but wasn't forceful about it and didn't fight back. Kendall was heartbroken a little bit but let her be, maybe sleeping it off might do her some good, whatever was bothering her that is. He went back downstairs to eat his own meal with his parents and sisters.

It was unusually quiet at the dinner table, unsure of what to talk about or how to start one. It was tense night to say the least and had been a stressful few weeks. Katie seemed to be doing so well at first, and even after Kendall left, she did nothing but improve but then things went south as she became lethargic, depressed and submissive. She never lashed out at anyone, in anger or fear but it was clear she was afraid or uncomfortable about something. Despite the doctor's suggestions she didn't get any better no matter what they tried. Originally, it was thought that perhaps it was Kendall's leave that made her this way but she remained the same. It was frustrating to everyone, after all the work, put into her, why was she failing now after getting so far?

The days went by slowly, and Katie stopped eating altogether. Kendall became frustrated and at one point yelled at her, making her feel worse but she took it like she always did and said nothing. When she was alone she just cried as much as she could with out making too much noise. She cried so much she was surprised at the amount of tears she had each time, she figured she wouldn't have anymore but each time she cried another river it seemed.  
She just kept feeling bad and wanted it to stop. She felt so unwanted and like she was such a burden. She still couldn't walk without pain and she couldn't stand it. Nights went by almost sleepless until she felt at peace or tired her self out. She managed to fall asleep pretty easily one night and she slept soundly, peacefully, probably the most sleep she had gotten in a while but she woke up in the middle of the night around 3:30.

Something was forcing her awake and in the dark she couldn't see anything and the house was so quiet it was almost deafening. Without thinking she got up from bed and although she was in pain, it didn't seem to register as she walked, weakly, out of her room, bracing her self with the wall. Her stomach began to churn a little, as hunger pains began to sweep over her like crazy, making her feel sick. She seemed to ignore that too as she blindly followed the wall into the kitchen.

"Katie! Katie wake up! Come on, please wake up!" a voice pleaded. Katie could hear it but she couldn't quite identify it nor could she respond. She felt paralyzed in the darkness that surrounded her. She was sleeping but why couldn't she wake up? She fought for a moment as she tried to find her way out of her dream world. She felt herself come out of REM sleep with a jolt. After another minute she finally managed to open her eyes.  
She was sleepy and a little disoriented but looking around she saw faces above her that seemed familiar before she closed her eyes again. She moved a little bit, gaining a sense of her whereabouts. She was on her side, in a semi-fetal position. She felt pressure on her shoulders as the same voices talked and shook her. She opened her eyes again and could see the Knights standing above her.

She was more alert now, concerned with what was going on. She was on the floor of the living room, how or why she couldn't be sure but what she did know, was that she was hungry. Mr. and Mrs. Knight were the only ones awake so far and kept their concerns to a dull roar as they tried desperately for several minutes to get Katie to respond. They were still concerned about her, wondering how and why she was on the floor in the living room but since Katie had no idea, they figured maybe it was sleep walking.

Despite their, concerns, Katie began to move, rolling over to her other side, since her leg was feeling a little numb and sore. She got up quickly and with a grunt, struggling a little bit as well, but standing alone. She went to stretch but lost her balance in the process but Mr. Knight caught her and set her back upright.  
"Are you alright Katie?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"I feel fine, I'm always a little slow in the morning. Not really my time of day you know?" she laughed "Although I am a little sore too, must have slept wrong…don't remember falling asleep on the floor though…"

"That's alright, why don't we just get you back into bed first? That way you can take it easy for a little bit, get your bearings and what not, it's just before 7 anyway, so you can even go back to sleep for a couple hours."

"Ok." She said, she went to get on the couch but was stopped.

"No, no, I mean your room." Mrs. Knight said. Katie looked confused at her words, something wasn't clicking but they didn't question it right now. Without hesitation, Mrs. Knight grabbed Katie's arm and led her to her room, with a friendly smile. As soon as Katie saw her room, she seemed less confused and jumped right into bed, mumbling an 'ouch' from landing on her bad leg. Katie got comfy and Mrs. Knight shut the door. She struggled to go back to sleep a little bit but eventually succeeded.

Kendall woke up as normal and paraded downstairs in his boxers to get breakfast. His mom was surfing the internet for some answers to her questions as well as chatting with the doctor. She finished her conversation shortly after Kendall walked in.

"What's going on, mom?" he asked after hanging up, concerned at the words she was saying

"Oh, nothing much, just talking to the doctor about Katie. Not sure what's going on, I have to call him back once she wakes up." she replied

"Is she ok?"he asked

"I'm not sure. Well I mean she will live, but she's just been acting a little different lately." she began. She told Kendall about the morning's events but he didn't know how to take it. "Just act normal, don't do anything different and don't act overly excited or cautious." she warned.

She made him some breakfast and he ate it cautiously, thinking about what could be going on. A loud crash from upstairs broke the silence followed by a short scream from Katie. Mrs. Knight called up to her in worry but Katie replied she was fine, just tripped. In order for her to trip, she had to be up which made Kendall think just exactly what the hell was going on with her? How come all of a sudden she's having this drastic personality change and acting like everything is fine. Mrs. Knight called the doctor real quick to let him know that Katie was up and walking around but a little off kilter. Paired with her sudden mood enhancement he had a few ideas and would call back later with instructions. Katie made her way down the hall to the stair case and began to attempt her descent. She managed halfway before stopping for a moment. Mrs. Knight greeted her, after hearing her trying to come down.

"What are you up to?" she asked

"I'm hungry and I'm bored of being upstairs." Katie said shyly

"Alright, I'll make you something to eat. Come on." she said, helping Katie down the rest of the way.

Once on the ground, Katie managed to walk on her own to the kitchen, excited to eat something. She swung around the corner and saw Kendall sitting at the table.

"Kendall!" she smiled and tackle hugged him, nearly knocking him out of his chair. He hugged her back happy to see her in a better mood and up and around. "When did you come back from tour? I thought you wouldn't be back until this afternoon?" she asked.

Needless to say he was confused but he thought quickly, offering her his answer that he had gotten back late last night. Mrs. Knight had seen and heard the conversation and just let it go, serving Katie her food and giving Kendall seconds. Katie was still hungry but she didn't get anymore, after not eating for so many days, it would be too hard on her stomach to ingest such a large amount of food at once. Depending on the doctor's orders she would either get some snacks through out the day or wait until meal times.


	25. Chapter 25

***AN* Ending is very close. I think it is safe to say is 1-2 chapters away. I feel like my endings are rushed in excitement to finish or just out of boredom, especially with longer stories that tend to take several days/weeks. This chapter dragged on a little bit further than it should have and there is only a plot advancement during the first half, the rest is filler i guess. I'm hitting my key points though so I'm getting there. As I finish the ending, I will be taking my time with it a little bit. I have more stories to write and cant wait to get started however they will be shorter fan fics or I will take a break from FF and go to FP (fiction press!) It seems to be my pattern, after a long story I write several short/medium length stories before going back to a big one and most of my long stories had originally planned as medium length! In any case, give me a few days maybe even a couple weeks to get the ending up. I almost never forget a story once started but sometimes I do have multiple stories going if I get bored or get writiers block or just have a really good idea that I dont want to forget and get out on paper, and its short enough to do so.***

According to the doctor's synopsis, Katie most likely had some sort of mental or emotional breakdown. The brain is a powerful tool in the human body and because she was trapped in her depressed state, a good night's sleep gave her a bit of a 'reboot' in a way. Her mind deleted or just locked away the horrible way she felt but since its not perfect, it locked away some important details which is why she is mixed up in her surroundings. She was living in the past and the present and to her, it all seemed normal.

This wasn't life threatening at all but if for what ever reason her mind lapsed and her memories came back, it could spell trouble in a big way. She could snap and become violent or even more depressed than she was. For right now she was stable and back to her old self, just a few weeks behind everyone else but she would catch up on her own.

The weeks went by and there was no change in her mood and all seemed to be pretty stable. She caught up with her days quickly and soon was living in the correct present. The whole ordeal was kept a secret within the Knight family to avoid any unwanted attention. By the time the other band members came back from their vacations, she was well again. No pain, no memory lapses or other problems.

Soon enough, it was time to shoot another season and as a surprised Katie got to come along for the first time and see the set in person. She stayed out of the way in a corner as she watched her friends do a table read and a quick run through for the first episode. For the most part, she wanted to see the final product as a surprise so when the guys were filming she explored the other sets on her own, having fun on the swirly slide and in the pool on a hot day.  
In between episodes, they would often spend the day at Roque Records for dance and vocal rehearsals. Gustavo had a strict policy against friends so Katie found something else to do or stayed home with Kendall's mom helping out around the house. She was a real gem to have around, she knew all sorts of tips and tricks around the home from all her years as a child laborer. Katie could cook too but she left the cooking to Mrs. Knight.

"Dogs, I wanted to speak to you, in my office, now." Gustavo ordered calmly. Gustavo wasn't his usually gruff self and was kind of, 'off' you could say. They followed him into his office cautiously, jumping when the door slammed behind them. "Alright so listen, I was searching the band's official website today, making sure everything is going smoothly when I come across this voting page 'Katie to Fame'." he started. The guys sank back in their seats, waiting for Gustavo to explode at them.

"Gustavo, wait! You don't know what she's like! She's amazing and has more talent than I ever thought I had!" James began.

"This girl can sing, dance, act and she's super creative." Logan added

"She's the nicest person I have ever met. She's caring, super sweet, great with kids and just an overall good person who has been through so much." Carlos said.

"Gustavo, she deserves this more than anything in the world right now. I cant even begin to fathom her past but I have a feeling it's a road no human being could survive on their own." Kendall said.

"So you bribed the web manager?" Kelly called out.

"As big as twitter is, I think we all know that hash tags don't always cut it." Kendall sassed back.

"Do you guys even know the havoc you caused?" Kelly yelled "The forum is covered in arguments among your fan base and even other fan bases. Not only that, there is bullying and all sorts of harassment going on, this whole thing is so close to making news headlines. Luckily we found out about your little scandal before too much damage was done. You better hope your friend didn't see this, and make her life worse than what ever was going on already." She finished, walking out to finish her work.

"I'm not pleased at all with your shenanigans. Going behind my back was a huge betrayal of my trust." Gustavo said.

"But you told us that you didn't want to sign her so we had to help her." James said

"What was the first lesson you learned here? Don't make promises to your fans!" Gustavo reprimanded.

"We didn't. We did this on our own. She's talented, and could make a huge impact in the music world and society! What better way to diffuse hate by having it all come straight from the source?" Kendall said

"We have never let you down Gustavo, and you know it. You're always so tentative about trying something new when it could be the best thing for you." Logan added

"You took a huge risk with us and look what happened." James said

"She can do this Gustavo, believe in her like you do with us. Take another risk, what have you got to loose?" Carlos asked

"My dignity!" he replied

"Come on, Gustavo!" Kendall said sternly. Gustavo stayed silent for a moment glancing at each of them.

"It's true that you haven't let me down. Yet. You got to understand the risks behind signing a new person. The artist has to have a huge following or at least be mostly positive reviews. Your friend has neither. I will admit she has talent, quite a bit, but I just cant sign someone like her to my label. I'm the maker of pop and dance, not rock." Gustavo explained

"But you're Gustavo ROQUE. Don't you see the irony here?" Kendall insisted.

"I have had enough of you, Kendall. I told you there is nothing more I can do. This is out of my hands. Now, go back home or something that is away from my studio!" he yelled.

They ran out of the building and stopped when they were just outside the main doors, defeated and heartbroken. They reached the end of the line and there was nothing more they could do. Something so simple, it seemed, turned into this complicated failure. On top of that, they couldn't believe their an base would turn on them like that. They used to have the best fans in the world that not only cared about them but other rushers as well.  
They couldn't trust anyone it seemed, maybe the only option left was to quit being a band and just go back to being regular everyday people. They'd be with the ones that truly cared about them at least, and everyone would have a happy ending. Everyone except Katie. What was she to do then? They tried so hard to make things right but it was too much. Silently and slowly, they walked on, back to their homes in utter despair as they sank on their couches, at the end of their ropes.

"Are they gone?" Kelly asked after peeking into Gustavo's office.

"Yep." he answered

"How'd they take it?" she asked.

"Not well." he replied.

"Good. So then everything is going according to plan." She said opening the door. "Here's the paperwork you asked for, Griffin already approved it. He said it'd be a nice change and worth the risk. He also wondered why no one else thought of this sooner."

"Never crossed my mind until the dogs brought it up." Gustavo said, filling out the paper. "It's true they havent let me down. Their gut instincts are surprisingly dead on for a bunch of kids."

"Maybe that's why they have been such a big hit for as long as they have. All your other musical acts either gave up from lack of creativity or just didn't last through your monotonous routine." Kelly said knowingly. She could tell her words stung him a little bit but he needed to know that his thoughts and ways of doing things weren't always right. He needed to listen to the artists' view and even the fans' view, every now and then. Gustavo sighed, staring down at the paper in front of him.

"Ok. You're right. I'll do it. I just hope this works out, for the dogs'- I mean the band's sake. I don't want to let them down either." He said as he signed the paper, right under Griffin's. All that was left, was Katie's signature, he just had to find her and hope she would accept.

Katie was as active as ever, full of life and energy compared to the past few weeks. She was at several doctors offices today to check in on her health from all sides. She visited a neurologist, a nutritionist, a psychologist, and physical therapist. She lost a significant amount of weight now from her lack of eating but would gain it back following a strict diet. Once she gained better nutrition she would function better and not be so wobbly, off balance and would have more energy. Her leg was just about healed but had lost much of its mobility so therapy was to re-stretch the ligament to gain more mobility. The psychologist was just to monitor what went on in her head. She overcame whatever was getting her down and was able to recall many events before and after meeting BTR.  
With her health in check she was once again the crazy, social butterfly as before, although nervous and submissive around new people. She often catered to the guys just to show her appreciation. She never mentioned the poll the guys had set up and they never brought it up, they didn't want to break her heart. She didn't need to hear that no one liked her. She still went with them to many places, acting as a co-manager/agent. She made sure things ran smoothly at interviews and photo shoots as well as having fun herself.

She didn't like to travel too much so she only went to concerts in and around Hollywood. She was fantastic on tour and helped out a lot. Even at home she was a big help as always. Katie and Mrs. Knight were best friends and eventually Kendall's sister warmed up to her although still not incredibly pleased with the new addition. As Katie got stronger she did more and even left the house on occasion but usually no more than a few blocks on her own. Katie was a joy to have around the house, helpful, full of life and smiles and caring.

A few days later, the guys just became really down. They were almost never around or easy to get a hold of at all. Kendall wouldn't come home until the wee hours of the morning. Only once did Katie catch him and ask him what was up but he brushed it off as nothing. She figured they were being worked a little harder to meet a deadline or something, which wasn't unusual but something about this whole thing felt different but she just couldn't put her finger on it.  
When she woke up, Kendall of course was gone. She decided to snoop through his things, a total invasion of privacy, something she would have never thought to do at all, even though she did have a crush on him. She wanted to find out something about his days, what was going on, what deadline he had to meet or something. She managed to find an old business card for Roque Records, where the guys record and she thought she could start there, although she had no idea how to get there and if she would even be able to talk to anyone high enough up.

She was alone today, one of the first times, now that she was strong enough to be on her own without any worry. She did have a car though, it was the family car. Mrs. Knight had taken the bus for the day since she would just be going to work and left the car in the driveway. Katie was allowed to use it after she had gotten used to driving again. She put the address in the GPS and set off, arriving at the studio in about 20 minutes. She walked into the main lobby, nervous and the security guard asked her to state her business.

"Hi," she said politely clearly demonstrating she meant no harm. She approached the desk as she spoke. She didn't get out much before a loud, gruff voice, rang through the lobby.

"Hey!" the voice said. An average height and portly man dressed in hip-hop attire stormed down the hall towards them. The security guard stood at attention waiting to assist. Katie backed up in fear.

"Mr, Roque what can I do for you?" the officer asked. The man, Gustavo, waved him off and continued to Katie.

"You-" he began before being cut off.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Roque I had no idea I was disturbing you. I didn't even know who you were. I didn't mean any harm, honest I was just looking for a friend is all Please, forgive my intrusion." She apologized.

"Come with me." Gustavo said a little gruff but calmer.

"Huh…?" she said quietly.

"Come on!" he said louder, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him. She squeaked in surprise but followed quickly behind him, silently.


	26. Chapter 26

***AN* Ending is very close. I think it is safe to say is 1-2 chapters away. I feel like my endings are rushed in excitement to finish or just out of boredom, especially with longer stories that tend to take several days/weeks. This chapter dragged on a little bit further than it should have and there is only a plot advancement during the first half, the rest is filler i guess. I'm hitting my key points though so I'm getting there. As I finish the ending, I will be taking my time with it a little bit. I have more stories to write and cant wait to get started however they will be shorter fan fics or I will take a break from FF and go to FP (fiction press!) It seems to be my pattern, after a long story I write several short/medium length stories before going back to a big one and most of my long stories had originally planned as medium length! In any case, give me a few days maybe even a couple weeks to get the ending up. I almost never forget a story once started but sometimes I do have multiple stories going if I get bored or get writiers block or just have a really good idea that I dont want to forget and get out on paper, and its short enough to do so.***

Gustavo dragged Katie to his office, all while she followed silently, scared to death she might be in trouble. Once in his office he sat at his desk while she stood at the door.

"Sit down." he said. She wasted no time and did as he said. "You can relax, you arent in any trouble. I should have explained but I don't want word to get around just yet. You are Katie Pryszweic, yes?"

"Yes, sir, I am." she responded.

"Great. I've been looking for you for a while. I recognized you from your you tube videos. I hear you are good friends with Big Time Rush." he began  
"Yes, sir." she said

"Good to know you guys would get along then. I cant tell you how many times I had several acts and musicians in my studio who couldn't stand each other. I'm sorry I couldn't have met you before but I stand strict on no friends in my studio when the artists are working. Plus I had some paper work to do and I wanted to spring it on everyone." he said

"Spring what?" she asked

"Well, I want to offer you a contract to sign with Roque Records. My boss, Griffin, thought having a rock theme might be a nice change and he is willing to take that risk in today's market. He saw your talent and agrees you would be perfect for this opportunity with a little work of course." he explained.

"I'm not sure I follow…is this for real?" she asked, wide-eyed

"Indeed it is. This contract outlines your new 'job' work schedule, agreements and other such things. Should you chose to accept this, you will begin immediately training for fame as well as working with all the best music guru's to create your image. Of course you do have a say in most of what goes on, I just suggest you take notes for a little while to see how things go." he explained

"Wow…I never thought this day would ever happen. I cant believe the guys were able to do this for me…" she said tearing up. "I need a moment to think this over. Now that this option is in front me, I'm not so sure if I can do it, I mean what if I let everyone down? This is what we have all been waiting for and working towards and after everything that has happened…I just…" she trailed off.

"That's fine. Take all the time you need. There is no rush on this. I do ask one favor. " he started

"What is it?" she asked

"If you see the guys, tell them to check in with me. I gave them a vacation a few days ago after giving them some bad news. I wanted to leave this as a surprise but I think maybe they took it wrong. They havent checked in at all." he replied

"I thought they were working all this time. When I wake up and when I go to bed, Kendall isn't home. He comes home really late and leaves early. He's been in a weird mood as were the others." she explained

"Well that cant be good then…Don't worry about it, I have other ways of getting a hold of them but if you see them in the mean time, please pass the message along. Surprise them with this news, it might make them feel a little better." He said.

"Yes, sir. Thank you for your time, I'll think about this and get back to you as soon as possible." she said. She shook his hand and he escorted her out the door and she ran the rest of the way out the door and back home. Kendall's car was in the driveway. She boxed him in so he wouldn't leave without talking first.

"Kendall? Kendall are you home? I need to talk to you, it's important?" She yelled through the house as soon as she got in.

"What's the matter?" he called down.

"Where are you?" she asked

"Upstairs." he replied

"Ok, hang on a minute, let me get up there." she said. She dropped her bag on the couch and ran up the stairs with a thump, turning the corner quickly. She ran down the hall and slid to a stop just past Kendall's room. She doubled back but he wasn't in there. "Kendall?"

"I'm in the bathroom. I just took a shower, I'll be out in a sec." his voice was more muffled than before. She heard the door shut on her way up, he must have been getting dressed or something when she came home.

"Hurry up, please its important." she said

"Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"Yes. No….I don't know. Just…get out here when you can." she pleaded. The door opened suddenly and Kendall stood half naked in the door way, eyes wide waiting for an explanation for her rush.

"Kendall, listen, we need to talk" she began right away, completely ignoring the fact that her crush was standing before her, soaking wet and a towel haphazardly wrapped around his waist, his boxers showing.

"What is going on?" he said impatiently yet curious.

"First off, Gustavo has been trying to get a hold of everyone. He says, he gave you guys a vacation and you've been more trouble than normal. Second, what is with YOU, should be the question. For the past few days, you guys have been more moody and depressed than I was for 3 weeks." she shot off.

"When and how did you see Gustavo?" he questioned curiously, raising a brow.

"I went to Roque Records for some information to find out why you guys have been so distant."

"You want to know why?" he said, getting louder and a little mean. "We've done nothing but work our butts off for that ass. We've never let him done and done everything his way. He finally starts going in our direction and we make him a ton of money so he can sit on his fat ass in his $3 million dollar mansion eating pudding and all the thanks we get is a denied request. We asked him for one favor and he shot us down like we were insignificant. If that's the way he wants to be then we don't want to do it anymore." he said hitting the wall in anger. "We weighed the options we had and although we will be breaking a lot of hearts, ours are broken a lot more, especially when you've failed everyone." he sighed.

"You didn't fail me." she offered.

"Yes I did…" he began turning away into his bathroom. He leaned over the sink and looked into the mirror. "We tried so hard to get someone to sign you, but rock music is done for. We didn't like when we had to change who we were and we didn't expect you to change either. Gustavo told us 4 days ago, that the poll that we put up all those months ago, received mostly negative reviews." He continued.

He couldn't look her in the eyes, he didn't want to see the look of disappointment and despair on her face. She was a little hurt. Gustavo told her that he had told the guys that he wasn't signing her and leaving it as a surprise but he didn't say that the reviews were negative. Was it true? If it was, was Katie just going to be a pawn of some sort to be humiliated? She wasn't sure now if she could share her good news with Kendall and the others.

"I'm sorry, Katie." he said softly, staring into her eyes.

She could tell he meant it, he wasn't a total jerk like he was just a few minutes ago. Kendall was actually a sweet guy, despite his skater/rocker appearance. His style and attitude had grown since the band started. He looked like he might be short tempered or a little snobbish but the truth was he was a kind and gentle person, much like Katie. He was full of patience and love and an overall likeable guy. He was funny too.

"You know what. It's ok. I've enjoyed my time here very much. Its been the best few months of my life, hanging out with my idols who are now my best friends. Things couldn't have been any better. You nursed me back to health after saving me, you put up with me and my crap and you offered me a place to stay, a home full of love. I couldn't have asked for any more. I really do enjoy the show and wish you wouldn't quit, but I'm not going to stop you either. What ever happens, happens and I'll never forget all the moments we shared, as long as I live." she said with a smile.

"You make it sound like you're leaving…" he trailed off confused

"I am. I plan on returning home, however I have heard little to nothing in the 3 months I've been gone from anyone from back home. No one cares that I have up and left. The only way to find out is to try, it'll be a long trip but I've got no where else to go." she explained

"But I meant it when I said you could live with me. You cant go back there." he said.

"I don't have the choice. It was nice staying with you, really it was, but its not how I was raised. Without a job I cant just sit here and mooch off people as nice as you. The housework and errands I do is nothing compared to bringing in actually money." she said "I don't have much so it wont take me long to pack. I'll probably stay the night but I'll be gone by morning, right after breakfast. I want to get a head start." she said as she began to walk out.

Kendall came up behind her and grabbed her arm. She spun around to see his eyes filling with tears, pleading with her not to go. He tried to speak but nothing would come out and he got frustrated. He turned around as he felt the tears fall to try to hide them a little.

"You never failed me Kendall, and that's a fact. You've always managed to make me smile someway or another. If you insist on quitting, then so do I. Its not a leverage question, I want to quit, I'm not cut out for this like you are. Some people are born to be famous and others arent, its just a way of life. Opportunities like this may come once in a lifetime but sometimes its just not worth it. People constantly judging your looks, hair, make-up, personal life, even your love life! If I wanted to be judged on such trivial things, I could just go back home. I may have lost weight and be a better version of myself but only the outside has changed not the inside. If I havent found love with my personality so far, I'm not going to find it at all." she said turning away.

Kendall grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him, before planting a kiss on her for the second time since they met. She was surprised at his actions, more so than that night on stage. He was into it and meant it. He pulled away, a serious look on his face.

"I care about you. I like you. Your personality is amazing. If nothing else, stay with me because I love you!" Kendall said loudly.


	27. Chapter 27

***AN* Took a while and I'm sorry. This story is going longer than I thought, thinking about creating a sequel or something. Feedback on this story seems to be going well and pretty positive so I guess I'm doing something right. Chapters will be coming out slower as I piece together the rest of the story and how i want to present it. Also, my real life is pretty hectic at the moment so I'm trying to balance everything. Bear with me as I continue working on the story, I wont forget it.  
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**This chapter has some time jumps in it. The first section (before the line of -'s) encompasses a span of 2-5 days. While there is no set timeline on the story it does stick out from the section after the page break as it continues from the last chapter. the first section is taking place before/during the 2nd section if that makes sense. it doesnt add much, if anything to the plot so if you'd prefer not to read it, skip to the page break!*  
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Kelly had since left Roque Records to try to find the other members of BTR. With a little help from the paparazzi and some investigative work, she learned that James seemed to disappear, while Carlos, visited some family. Logan was actually just chilling at home. His house was almost empty, despite the money he was making now, he still lived pretty frugally. He ignored her calls and attempts to get his attention and she left to catch up with her plans. Kelly made deals with paparazzi to deliver a message to the guys if they were found and tell them to return to Roque Records as soon as possible.

After a few days, Logan and Carlos got the messages and tried to get a hold of James but with no luck. They returned to Roque Records anyway with mixed feelings about the whole ordeal.

"Listen, I don't know what has gotten into you guys, but I do hope things will clear up soon. We all have to work together whether you like it or not. I'm sorry things didn't work out like you wanted but you're acting like a bunch of children." Kelly said.

Her words hit home and both apologized, realizing their mistake. It wasn't going to get them anywhere and they certainly were making things harder on Katie then it already was. Logan was still unreachable, enjoying his vacation. James and Carlos actually broke into his house to get his attention and although he was mad at their actions, he listened to what they had to say.

"I'm not mad that Katie didn't get signed, what gave you that idea?" Logan asked.

"We just assumed.." Carlos said.

"We tried all we could and it just didn't work out. Yeah it was a little disheartening but its not the end of the world." Logan defended.

"Then why did you go into hiding?" James asked.

"I didn't. Gustavo gave us some time off and I took it. I went on vacation, spent a few days in the Bahamas, visited home, and then came back here to unwind a bit." Logan explained. "I was nice and relaxed, looking forward to getting back to work nice and refreshed but now I have to replace my door!" he said pointing to the bashed in door frame.

"Yeah…sorry about that buddy, we'll fix." Carlos assured with his innocent smile. Logan agreed, calmer now that it would be fixed. Carlos could always be trusted, when he said something, he meant it. Content, Logan threw an arm over Carlos' shoulders in appreciation.

"…What?" Katie replied.  
"I love you, please stay with me. I couldn't imagine life without you. I know we really havent known each other that long and I don't know much about your past but I know enough about you as a person to know that I've fallen in love, head over heels even. I cant describe it and I know I sound cheesy right now, but please, believe me when I say that I love you." Kendall continued.

Katie didn't know how to respond. She was still so untrusting of people, even those who did everything for her, only 2 of her close friends back home were people she trusted, but the ties had weakened long before she fled the state. She was tortured all the time, when she put her feelings out in the open, lies and rumors spread making her coward in fear and hide in shame. Many guys offered their hearts and when she accepted and offered hers, they stomped on it and ran away laughing, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her shattered remains.

She liked Kendall, in fact she had always had a huge crush on him, attracted to him when she first laid eyes on him many years ago, but she never acted on them. He was famous and she wasn't, he never knew she even existed until a few months ago. This new family may be the only people that truly care about her on this earth, but she just didn't know if she knew how to return her feelings or even if she could for that matter. She had no idea what love felt like and was scared to try, she suffered so much hurt in her life, she couldn't deal with anymore and blocked it all out, creating this thick, almost heartless barrier. She suffered still, with this barrier, knowing she could be a terrible person to others, and therefore distanced herself.

She went years without any emotion, crying, depression and hurt was a thing of the past but something was breaking her inside as each day, the barrier she built up started to crack little by little. She felt more emotion, and depression had taken over a few times, she could cry like a river too. The world and life gave her so much to carry that the support she gave herself, just couldn't take it all. All these thoughts and emotions were running through her head but she couldn't make sense of any of them. She looked to Kendall with tears in her eyes. His emerald eyes stared back at her, but she just couldn't face him. He reached out but she stopped him

"Kendall I…I cant do this…I'm not denying you, I don't hate you. I love everything you've done for me, and I couldn't thank you enough but I just cant trust what your saying. I know you have a big heart, its mine that doesn't work right, in fact it may even be non-existent. There is more to my past than you think, my mind, heart and soul have been shattered so many times and they wont last through another attack. I'm too broken to be fixed…I'm sorry, Kendall." she said, before fleeing the room in tears.

Kendall tried to follow her, calling her name from his door frame but she was already out of sight, heading down the stairs. He dropped his towel and grabbed his jeans off the bed, jumping into them as he heard the front door slam shut. He slipped on his sandals, grabbed his shirt and keys and tried to get dressed as he ran down the stairs, tripping on the landing and hitting the wall with a thud. He turned the corner and jumped over the last few stairs, flung open the door and saw her leaving the driveway. He ran out after her but she kept going, speeding off down the road. He stood there on the grass, saddened and frustrated, looking down the road; his neighbors staring at the scene wondering what happened.

Katie had no idea where she was going. She had been living in LA for a few months now but her head was a fog of emotion and she couldn't think straight. She knew where the stores where but she couldn't find a deserted place to just deal with everything that just happened. She finally found an empty parking lot and pulled into a couple spaces in the open t avoid being caught off guard as she let it all out. She felt worse than ever letting Kendall down like that, the look in his eyes, the hurt he felt. It was too much.

She felt stupid for thinking she couldn't hurt someone like she had been hurt but she did it anyway. All because she tried to protect her own feelings, she did what she thought she would never do and hurt someone. His feelings may have been true, in fact they seemed legit but she was just too afraid to accept it. To afraid to be normal, whatever that felt like.

Kendall wasted no time and tried to follow her. Traffic was horrible as usual and he lost her pretty quickly. He got on his phone and asked the guys to keep an eye out for her, naturally they were concerned but he didn't want to talk about what just happened. He was hurt, and to be honest he was pissed he was turned down like that but not because he was a jock who was never turned town, but because he experienced his share of pain and was hurt that she felt that she couldn't trust him. He hung up from each call, leaving his friends confused and continued on.

After close to 30 minutes, he was ready to give up out of frustration when he did a double take and saw her car, alone in a parking lot. He cared a lot about his car but when the traffic cleared, he ran it over the curb and sped up to her, squealing the tires to a stop. He jumped out to catch her before she left again. He rushed the door and tried to open it but it was locked.

"Come on, Katie open the door! Please!" he pleaded. She kept staring down but she unlocked it. He opened it and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. Please don't be upset. I know what you're going through, I've been hurt too. You might not believe it, but I'm not everyone's first choice. I've had more bad dates than most and my luck with girls is terrible. I'm no flirt like Logan but I am a compassionate person, at least I try to be. Carlos has that down pat."

She hugged him back, crying into his shoulder. She heard his words but it still wasn't making her any better.

"I promise, we can work through this, just give me a chance, tell me what I have to do. Tell me what's going on in your dark world so I can help destroy it with every ounce of my being. Put your trust in me and never let go. I wont hurt you, ever." he said squeezing her tight.


	28. Chapter 28

_***AN* This is the last chapter. I'm sure I could have gone more but I liked the way it ended. More stories on the way! I've been thinking of a sequel to this story maybe, like the first year of her work/climb to the top or something else. Not sure just yet. Enjoy this and please leave some feedback on whether you might like to see another chapter to this story (an epilogue) and/or a sequel! Thanks for reading and sticking with me so far.***_

It took a little bit of coaxing, but once she calmed down, she followed Kendall home. The two were inseparable as they spent the afternoon on the couch watching the Lion King trilogy. Mrs. Knight came in and rolled her eyes at the childish display but said nothing. She could only smile at her son and unofficially adopted daughter as they laughed at the children's movie. She was concerned at first over the next few days, with the sudden change in behavior but let it go seeing how happy the two of them were. Kendall's younger sisters were more mature then he was being. She paid them no mind since they were doing no harm and knew when to call it quits. They were the same helpful, kind hearted souls they have always been.

After a few days, Kendall and Katie both received calls from Kelly to meet them at Roque Records. Katie still hadn't told any of the guys, even Kendall about the contract, in fact she had forgotten it most of the time. She did manage to read it over and it was a great deal, with very little to risk. Kendall would be curious if she tagged along so she decided to leave before him.

When she arrived she finalized everything, agreeing to her contract. She signed the bottom line, shook Gustavo's hand and were ready to face the day. Katie still had some recovering to do, so as she did so, she would go to work learning new songs that she can help write, as well as practicing her singing and dancing that had gotten rusty due to months of disuse. It'd be close to a year before she debuted as the newest super star but it was fine with her. This whole thing was new and intimidating. She was glad she was going to have friends by her side through the whole thing.

"Finally, you're here. Do you know how difficult it was to find you dogs? I don't know what's going on with you but I will not tolerate your tantrums just because I didn't help your little friend." Gustavo barked at them. Katie was in the other room waiting for instructions from Gustavo and Kelly. The guys bowed their heads in sorrow as they took his words. They felt bad for doing it, they never let Gustavo down and they were acting like spoiled brats. He didn't deserve that, no matter how tough he might get; he was making them famous beyond their wildest dreams.

"Gustavo, we're sorry." Kendall began "I was just upset and I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. I just felt like I was let down, after all the work I put in and this was the thanks I get. But I realize now its no one's fault, especially yours and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. None of us should have, and I'm sorry."

"Look, I didn't mean to let you down, some things are just not meant to be and others I have no control over. I understand your frustrations and I'm glad you came to your senses. We have work to do, we have to get you dogs back up and running pronto." Gustavo ordered.

"Yes, sir." Logan chipped in.

"We wont let you down Gustavo. You can count on us!" James said, jogging out of the room with the others.

Gustavo and Kelly waited a bit before following them from a distance to the dance hall to practice routines. Katie was sitting in wait on Gustavo's piano bench. None of the guys knew she was there and at first they didn't see her When they did they were thrilled to see and immediately asked how she got in. That's when Gustavo came in.

"Dogs!" he barked. They all stopped in their tracks and looked to him. "Meet your new co-worker." he said with a sly smile. They all jumped for joy, taking turns hugging the living daylights out of her and showering her with praise and congratulations.

"When did this happen!" Carlos asked confused

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kendall cried out.

"Congrats, Katie I knew you could do it!" James patted her on the back  
"Welcome to the high life." Logan said

"Calm down, all of you. No need to get excited. She just signed this morning. There is a lot more work to be done before she's a super star like you." Kelly said, bringing them all back to reality.

"Right. Firs things first, the dogs are going to get to work on their dance routines with Mr. X, while I work with Katie on her new image and sound." he said.

"Come on!" he called to Katie and she quickly followed along. He was surprised at how well she followed orders and how quickly she did things. She was easier to work with than other super stars he has had to work with, but it was only just the beginning.

Gustavo was in a good mood from the days events, mostly due to Katie's uplifting nature, something about her, made the whole room light up. He gave both the band and her the rest of the day off plus an extra day tomorrow and went home himself, calling it a day.

"I've never seen Gustavo in such a good mood before." Carlos noted.

"Me either, is it even him?" Logan wondered

"What did you do to him, Katie?" James joked

"I don't think I did anything, in fact I was pretty out of it, still stunned that I'm trying my luck at being the next super star. I'm trying but there is jut so much to do at one time to get it all started. I don't know what you guys were talking about though, he was never mean to me, at least not today, maybe because it is my first day. We'll have to see." she explained.

As the days passed by, her schedule became more cluttered and difficult to keep up with but somehow she managed. The guys were only around for the first few weeks before they were off on their own thing. Katie soon recovered enough to begin her own dance routines that she found extremely difficult but with weeks of practice she got them down pat. Her songs were catchy and told her stories and feelings perfectly. She still had stage jitters performing in front of small test crowds but with all the lights and other distractions on stage she was confident she could handle it.

Her debut came quickly, much sooner than previously anticipated. She gave it her all, belting out her lyrics and moving across the stage with grace and rhythm. The show was spectacular, she had staging much like BTR's but with her own spin, confetti cannons, lights galore, backup singers and dancers who also doubled as confidants. She felt shaky regardless but over time in began to fade and she spoke and moved clearly. On camera and to the audience there was no difference though.

She finished her show on one of her best songs, reaching the big finish with confidence. she heard some screams but mostly all she could here was the music and confetti cannons. She was in her own world right now and just lived in the moment. She thanked the crowd, took a bow on each side of the stage before moving on to the back to relax and end the stressful night. She was full of jitters and had a panic attack even. This was the biggest night of her night, the one that would make or break her career and she just couldn't take it.

She was rushed to the hospital to be treated and put on a few days vacation to simmer down. Gustavo and Kelly couldn't believe what they were hearing and worried themselves sick thinking this was the end of all their hard work. The guys were on tour and knew nothing of what was going on, they didn't even know of her debut concert. She would have loved them to be there but Gustavo told her it was for the best, she needed to get used to them not being around since they couldn't always be there if they were on their own tour. She spent the night at the hospital to be watched over as she chilled out and was released the next morning. She rested at home for the next few days as Gustavo, Kelly and Griffin went over the concert footage and response.

"The concert was great, you did a fantastic job Gustavo!" Griffin said. "The reviews are mixed though, our target audience just isn't into her type of music. I really do like her style and want to keep this going. If we expand out, we might be able to gain a fan base, albeit slowly. Keep working at it, work her hard, make sure she wants this." he said leaving them to discuss.

"What do we do now?" Kelly asked.

"We do what he says. If he's willing to give her another shot, so am I. She needs work but she's got the talent and the will power to do this. Let's give her the rest she needs and the time to adjust and we'll start again." he instructed.

With hard work, determination and a lot of encouragement, Katie did make it to the top 25 Artists of Today. She surpassed Big Time Rush a few times and she was proud that she made it so high but was scared what would happen to her friendships. The guys held no grudges, she was the same person as always, down to earth, compassionate and friendly. Fame never went to her head, and she was always surprised at the things that happened in her life from fan gifts to awards. She always hung out with fans, even if she was having a quiet evening out to dinner she didn't mind being interrupted, and taking pics, signing autographs or whatever. She liked the attention just because she felt like people truly cared about her, and liked her for her talents, for herself. And that's all she ever wanted in life, a friend; to be liked.


End file.
